“Do not let anyone, including me, make you feel pressure to go spend money and live beyond your means, just to keep up with all the new makeup and all the new products that are constantly dropping. If you have a product that is beautiful and it works for you, stick with it.”

These are the words of Dara Levitan, a New York City-based makeup artist with 205,000 instagram followers. It’s a message you may not expect from a beauty influencer who you may assume is beholden to affiliate sales and endorsement deals. A marketing model which historically has been associated with the seemingly never out of date message to simply buy more stuff.

Yet these message of mindful consumption underlines how cost of living creativity is being driven by influencer culture. Levitan, who went on to create a video on ‘Makeup I would not buy again’ was a frontrunner in an emerging and important trend for brands: ‘de-influencing’.

There are currently 21.4 million views of the #deinfluencing hashtag on Tik Tok. In essence ‘deinfluencing’ is a trend which sees influencers educate consumers on what not to buy. Which products didn’t work as well as expected, which price points just didn’t translate to real life results. It is an approach which is the very antithesis of marketing hype and underlines that the growth of influencer marketing has been underpinned by authenticity. 

Yet it also points to another important shift afoot in marketing, namely embracing the challenges of the cost of living crisis. An economic environment in which brands need to be increasingly sensitive of the economic and emotional environment which consumers face. With this in mind we asked industry leaders what the ‘de-influencing’ trend means for marketers seeking to ensure their messaging hits the right tone in the midst of a cost of living crisis?

In an age of de-influencing and a cost of living crisis, pushing products hard or going for short-term sales wins can appear tone deaf to an audience that’s trying to spend more consciously. And while de-influencing may be about slow consumerism, it’s moving just as fast as product trends usually do - where those that find themselves on the ‘whats hot’ list, will just as quickly be labelled overhyped. If your brand does find itself going viral in de-influencing circles, I wouldn't be tempted to create reactive content that tries to convince people otherwise, unless you’ve got an established self-deprecating tone of voice. Instead, a cost of living crisis should be a reason to invest in longer, brand building creative and cultural plays -  as audiences become more critical of where they spend their money, aligning to their values and building an authentic relationship with them becomes key in winning consumers over and building brand loyalty. With any luck, if you find yourself on a TikTok round up of ‘what not to buy’, that loyal fan base you’ve built up will do the defending for you.

The concept of ‘De-influencing’ is a survival tactic deployed by influencers to head off criticism forming around the "Eat The Rich" narrative. As a narrative it’s a rallying call in response to growing wealth inequality and greed of the elite. It revolves around the idea that the rich should be held accountable for their wealth and power.

Right now, it’s an interesting time for influencers, having had their value called into question pre-pandemic - quickly rebranding to Creators - and then having to diversify their offering during the pandemic, they’re now faced with the cost of living crisis. So how do they respond to the very real problem? 

In two ways. The first is to continue with more of the same but with a disclaimer of “don’t buy anything you can’t afford”, which starts to feel very much like when gambling companies say “when the fun stops, stop”. This is giving me…all levels of ick.

The second approach is to become the ‘Money Saving Expert’ of whatever they’re known for selling. This at least gives some tangible demonstration of value from the Creator and a chance to show off their smarts, give valued advice and go deep into their niche (something we analysed in our annual trends report, Think Forward). This is a win for the consumer.

On a more strategic level we’re seeing the renaissance of hack culture, including the how to video, the emergence of the explainer and the rise of the “skillinfluence” with a more “prepper” mindset.

The other way it will affect creativity is that brands may not want to be seen to have spent a ton of money on vanity projects. That $3M plot in Decentraland to celebrate your 100th anniversary might not go down too well when consumers are living with inflation at 11%.

TikTok’s latest ‘de-influencing’ trend sees influencers talking about the products not to spend their money on, with some even going through products they’d been gifted from brands and stating which they wouldn’t buy themselves.

The trend encapsulates a wider shift in influencer marketing that we’ve seen building over the past few years. Audiences have long grown tired of inauthentic influencers, with distrust accelerated by "business trips” during COVID-19, superficial product sponsorships and more recently ‘out-of-touch’ messaging in the cost-of-living crisis. In this recent crisis, it’s no wonder these same consumers are growing tired of the endless stream of ‘must-haves’ being pushed on them and the pressure to keep up with TikTok’s rapid trend cycle. 

It’s clear that ‘de-influencing’ signifies a shift that brands need to pay attention to when looking to work with influencers. So, what can brands do? Strive for trust and authenticity through a focus on brand-fit, longer-term partnerships and creating real value.

First, focus on working with fewer, more considered influencers who fit your brand and what it stands for in order to provide more genuine partnerships over a larger number of ‘one-off’ influencer collaborations. 
Second, invest in longer term relationships with these influencers to build trust and authenticity by showing consumers that they value your brand and products, and actually use them.

Third, embrace the shift with your brand’s owned content on social. Create content that doesn’t solely centre around directly selling your products, but rather think first about the value that both your content and brand can truly bring your audience.

Far from a death knell for influencer advertising on TikTok or other platforms, de-influencing serves the interests of consumers and the creators, and so for brands who play by the rules, the opportunity has never been bigger.

Here’s why:

Creators win

The lifestyle influencer is fast becoming an endangered species; audiences want specialist creators who add value to their passions and interests. The de-influencing movement puts creators with strong audience relationships and trusted POVs in charge, meaning greater advocacy and trust.

So consumer’s win

Spurred on by the cost-of-living crisis consumers are looking for smarter purchase decisions; finding a ‘dupe’ is now something to be celebrated not scoffed at. De-influencing connects price-savvy consumers to brands that deliver quality without breaking the bank.

Meaning brands can win by:

1.      Choosing creators over influencers: partner with creators who value the community they serve and have built advocacy in their niche.

2.      Reviewing price point vs quality: quality is the prevailing competitive edge, consumers expect to get what they pay for. Ensure your price point is proportionate to the quality of your product in-category.

3.      Trusting the process: relinquish creative control to your creators and limit the number of ‘must-have-messages’, handover the keys and the creator will unlock the audience for you.