Announcing the 2020 State of Influence Report by Traackr

Today we released our 2020 State of Influence Report entitled “#Unprecedented 2020” 

Our report highlights how the pandemic and social justice movements have not only led consumers to demand higher sensitivity and awareness, but sustained action from influencers and brands alike. Additionally, the uncertain economic future and emergence of platforms like TikTok have required brands to take risks and get creative in order to stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant.

Our report provides insights into major beauty, fashion and lifestyle categories based on the content produced by a panel of 41,219 influencers and 20 brands. It analyzes the number of activated influencers, mentions and engagements, produced and shared by these influencers from January 2019 - June 2020, specifically focusing on how the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Our report highlights how the pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement, and overarching social media platform shifts have affected global business and changed consumer and brand behavior in the beauty, fashion and lifestyle industries. 

Key insights from segments in our report include:

• The “skinfluencer movement” and the associated influencers rising to digital fame
• The resurgence of haircare, specifically custom haircare 
• The shift in makeup towards clean beauty (and the decrease in makeup posts overall)
• The dominant force in fashion is activewear, now more than ever. 
• The importance of transparency in fashion, and the juxtaposition of trends in sustainable and fast fashion respectively

“The pandemic and greater Black Lives Matter social justice movement have changed the influencer marketing world for the better,” said Pierre-Loic Assayag, CEO and co-founder of Traackr. “Influencers are now held accountable by their audiences to be mindful, responsible and authentic with how they wield their influence. Our industry has talked a lot about the importance of brand purpose over the last few years, but 2020 has turned up the heat even more. Brands are not only expected to take part in the conversation, but influencers and audiences are auditing their promises and ensuring follow through on broader social justice issues.” 

The pandemic and ensuing economic uncertainty also had a huge impact on the content and placement of paid influencer marketing collaborations. Not only did new platforms like TikTok dominate the market, existing platforms added new functionalities and saw significant changes in audience behavior, like Instagram’s Reels and Shop. There was also a further delineation of the types of content that perform well on each platform, further demonstrating where these conversations are taking place and how brands are taking notice. 

To download the full report, visit https://bit.ly/2ZjSJ3q

Methodology

This report was created using Traackr, a technology platform that enables a data-driven approach to influencer marketing, through deep influencer, campaign, and market-level insights. For the purposes of this study, Traackr analyzed a sample of 20 brands, and 41,219 of influencers primarily located in the United States, Canada, and Europe who produce content and have audiences interested in common lifestyle categories including beauty, fashion, food and beverage. Influencers of all tiers (nano, micro, mid, macro, top, and VIP) were included.