THE INFLUENCER REPORT Engaging Gen Z and Millennials
An in-depth guide to how younger Americans interact with the new class of cultural tastemakers TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction
2 The Influencer Market 3 Influencers and Brands How much influence do How brands can engage with influencers have over influencers and the platforms young Americans and why to engage on. they follow them.
4 Being an Influencer 5 The Top Influencers The degree to which young Who are the most influential Americans want to be influencers and what young influencers and why. Americans think about them.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 2 INTRODUCTION Influencers have become a central part of social media for young Americans, and social media is an increasingly central driver of consumer decisions. Nearly three quarters of Gen Z and Millennials follow influencers on social media, and a majority say social media is where they most often learn about new products they’re interested in. Because of this, influencers provide brands with a key opportunity to reach young Americans – so long as they adequately understand how and where to engage them.
Based on over 2,000 survey interviews with 13-38 year-olds, this report will explore the scale and nature of influencer engagement. We look at where young Americans follow influencers, who they like to follow, why they follow, how much trust they have in influencers, and how much interest they have in becoming influencers themselves.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 3 Most Gen Z and Millennials follow Authenticity is the key trait people want 1 influencers, and teenagers are more likely 4 to see in influencers they follow: 88% say to follow many: 72 percent say they follow it’s important for influencers to be authentic at least some influencers. and genuinely care about their interests.
For Gen Z, top YouTube influencers are The potential micro-influencer market is 2 as popular as major celebrities: As many 5 massive: Young Americans of all stripes are Gen Z men know gaming YouTuber willing to post sponsored content, and a PewDiePie as Lebron James. And majority of them are likely to organically post PewDiePie is more well-liked. about brands they like.
And influencers are more trusted as 3 spokespeople than celebrities: 50 percent
FIVETAKEAWAYSKEY of Millennials trust influencers they follow on product recommendations, compared to 38 percent for their favorite celebrities.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 4 BRAND INTELLIGENCE
Morning Consult empowers marketing, communications and brand insights leaders to make data driven decisions around their brand: • Tracking over 3,000 brands in 12 countries everyday • Conducting over 10,000 interviews daily across over 100 demographic variables • Measuring industry and competitor benchmarks daily • Streaming over 100 million social media posts to aggregate social media, news, and economic data
REQUEST A DEMO 2 THE INFLUENCER MARKET
How much influence do influencers have over young Americans and why they follow them.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 6 THE INFLUENCER MARKET
72% of Gen Z and Millennials follow influencers, and teenagers are more likely to follow many
Do you follow any people on social media who could be considered influencers? Yes, many Yes, some No, none at all
All Gen Z and Millennials 23% 49% 27%
Age: 13-16 30% 46% 24%
Age: 17-21 26% 52% 22%
Age: 22-26 22% 56% 22%
Age: 27-31 24% 50% 27%
Age: 32-38 15% 43% 43%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 7 THE INFLUENCER MARKET
Men prefer following gaming and sports influencers. Women prefer beauty and fashion.
Do you follow any social media influencers who post regularly about the following?
MEN WOMEN
Gaming 62% Beauty / skin care 59% Fitness / sports 41% Fashion 49% Food 35% Food 47% Travel / lifestyle 27% Travel / lifestyle 40% Health / wellness 27% Health / wellness 40% Politics / social causes 24% Family / parenting 32% Fashion 23% Fitness / sports 30% Beauty / skin care 12% Gaming 26% Family / parenting 9% Politics / social causes 21%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 8 THE INFLUENCER MARKET
In their own words: Why young Americans follow influencers Respondents were asked an open-ended prompt: Why do you like to follow influencers?
Inspiration and Voyeurism Learning about Interesting, fun content aspiration new trends
"Seeing their successful “They are fun to watch “To stay trendy. I like to “They provide interesting content in lives inspires me to do and it’s close as I get to know what’s hot.” a more personal setting.” better in my own.” meet someone famous.” “I like to see the new “Usually they are very “They inspire me to be who “Honestly, I am a very beauty trends and what entertaining.” I am and they make me feel nosy person and like to works and doesn’t work. I “To learn about new and good about myself.” see what other people are like to make sure the interesting things they have to up to.” products I’m going to show, such as adventures and their “To get ideas on how to spend my hard earned “To see what they do with lifestyle.” start your own business or money on are worth it.” become an entrepreneur their lives and their wealth. “I follow social media influencers yourself.” It’s intriguing to follow “They are more in tune to because they produce content and their life.” the things that I like so I “They can make a big information in a very entertaining follow them to see the way.” positive change to society.” newest trends.”
Some quotations are lightly edited for grammar or clarity.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 9 THE INFLUENCER MARKET
Authenticity is the most important trait for influencers while ‘having a large following’ is less so
When deciding whether to follow an influencer on social media, how important are the following?
Very important Somewhat important
They are authentic and genuinely care about their interests 58% 30% 12% They are funny or have engaging personalities 53% 35% 12% They are knowledgeable on something I care about 48% 37% 15% They are intelligent or thoughtful 44% 39% 17% They have interests that are similar to me 42% 41% 17% They have good taste, and I trust their recommendations 36% 42% 22% They have good style or have their own sense of style 33% 39% 28% They are personal and open about sharing things they're dealing with 33% 38% 29% They post beautiful images 20% 32% 48% They have a lifestyle that is more exciting or interesting than mine 17% 32% 51% They have a lifestyle that is similar to mine 16% 32% 52% They are physically attractive 10% 22% 68% Other people I know follow them 10% 21% 69% They have a large following 10% 19% 71%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 10 3 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
How brands can engage with influencers and the platforms to engage on.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 11 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
Social media is a crucial driver of consumer decisions for young Americans
88% 56% 50% of Gen Z and Millennials have purchased a product say social media is where learn about products after seeing a post from they most often learn about they’re interested in someone they follow. new products to buy. buying on social media. 7% say they do this often, and 49% say they 20% say they most often learn about new do this sometimes. products from advertisements on social 24% say they learn about new products media, 12% from social media posts from often on social media, 46% say they do friends and family, 18% from influencers, 15% sometimes, and another 18% say rarely. from TV, 1% from newspapers or magazine, 3% from blogs, and 15% from word of mouth.
Some quotations are lightly edited for grammar or clarity.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 12 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
Nearly 1 in 4 Gen Z women say influencers are where they most often learn about new products to buy
Where do you most often learn about new products you're interested in buying?
Social media posts from influencers Advertisements on social media Social media posts from friends or family TV Newspapers or magazines Word of mouth Blogs Other
Gen-Z Women 24% 23% 10% 7% 13% 3% 6% 14%
Gen-Z Men 16% 24% 10% 12% 12% 8% 16%
Millennial Women 20% 19% 15% 14% 15% 5% 4% 6%
Millennial Men 12% 17% 12% 23% 17% 4% 9% 6%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 13 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
Among men, YouTube is the most popular platform for following influencers. For women, it’s Instagram.
What is your favorite site or platform for following influencers?
GEN Z MEN GEN Z WOMEN MILLENNIAL MEN MILLENNIAL WOMEN
YouTube 53% 43% 41% 40%
Instagram 34% 42% 25% 27%
Snapchat 5% 4% 19% 26%
Twitter 3% 3% 7% 2%
Facebook 1% 3% 4% 2%
TikTok 1% 2% 2% 1%
Twitch 0% 0% 1% 0%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 14 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
13-16 year-olds are as likely to use TikTok as Facebook and Twitter
Each logo represents the share of that age group who say they use the platform
YouTube Facebook Instagram Snapchat Twitter Twitch TikTok
AGE:
13-16
17-21
22-26
27-31
32-38
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 15 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
Just 10% say they have “a lot” of trust in influencers’ product promotions, while 39% have some. However, frequent social media shoppers are more trusting.
To what extent do you trust social media influencers to give you good advice about brands or products they are promoting?
A lot Some Not much Not at all Don't know / No opinion
All Gen Z and Millennials 10% 47% 23% 11% 8%
Frequent social media shoppers 25% 56% 13% 4%
Frequent social media shoppers are Gen Z and Millennials who say they “often” learn about new products they are interested in purchasing from social media. They make up 24 percent of the Americans age 13-38.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 16 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
Influencers are more trusted than celebrities as brand spokespeople
The share who say they trust each of the follow to give good advice about brands or products they are promoting.
Gen Z Millennials
82% My friends and family 84%
69% Product reviews on Amazon or similar sites 80%
65% Reviews from websites/news 78%
52% Influencers you follow on social media 50%
44% Your favorite celebrities / athletes 38%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 17 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
Being knowledgeable and relatable makes influencers more effective salespeople
Do the following make you more or less likely to buy a product or service that an influencer recommends?
Gen Z Millennials
The influencer seems knowledgeable on the product, 55% brand, or industry they are promoting 57%
48% The influencer is the type of person I can relate to 50%
The influencer displays real enthusiasm for the product, 50% brand, or industry they are promoting 48%
The sponsored post is funny, engaging, or otherwise 43% content you might enjoy 44%
41% The influencer is the type of person I aspire to be 38%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 18 4
BEING AN INFLUENCER
The degree to which young Americans want to be influencers themselves, and why.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 19 THE INFLUENCER MARKET
Most young Americans are interested in becoming influencers
12% 27% 54% 86% consider know an would become an are willing to post themselves to influencer influencer, given sponsored content be influencers personally the opportunity for money 11% of Gen Z and 12% of That includes 32% of the 22- 26% strongly agree they would 66% say they would accept Millennials say this label 26 year-olds, the highest level take the opportunity to become money to promote a product on fits them. for any age group. an influencer, and 28% one of their personal social media somewhat agree channels if they liked the product. Another 20% say they would do so even if they don’t like the product.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 20 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
61% of young Americans are likely to organically post about brands they like A higher share say they’re likely post about brands and products than food they’re eating
How likely are you to share the following on social media?
Very likely Somewhat likely
Travel experiences 39% 32%
Memes someone else created 35% 31%
Events you're attending 33% 36%
Photos of yourself 33% 32%
Brands or products you like 29% 32%
Memes you created 29% 25%
Food you're eating 24% 30%
Videos of yourself 22% 27%
Opinions on current affairs 19% 29%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 21 INFLUENCERS AND BRANDS
The potential micro-influencer market is massive: Young Americans of all stripes are willing to post sponsored content for money
If a brand reached out to you and offered you money to promote their product on one of your social media channels, would you accept?
I would accept it even if I did not like the product I would accept if I liked the product
Women 16% 71% 13% Men 23% 62% 15%
Income: Under 50k 22% 63% 15% Income: 50k-100k 16% 73% 11% Income: 100k+ 16% 70% 14%
Educ: < College 22% 64% 14% Educ: Bachelors degree 13% 72% 15% Educ: Post-grad 9% 77% 14%
Ethnicity: Hispanic 26% 63% 11% Ethnicity: White 18% 69% 13% Ethnicity: Afr. Am. 23% 60% 17%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 22 THE INFLUENCER MARKET
Gen Z and Millennials have different motivations for becoming influencers
The share who say each of the following be a major reason why they would want to be an influencer on social media
Gen Z Millennials
58% The opportunity to make a difference in the world 48% 55% Flexible hours 60% 53% The opportunity to share my ideas with a large audience 44% 51% It's fun work 48% 50% Money 58% 50% It's interesting work 45% 40% The opportunity to try new products or services 46% 21% People would see me as an authority figure 15% 17% Fame 14% THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 23 5
THE INFLUENCERS
Who are the most influential influencers and what young Americans think about them.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 24 THE INFLUENCERS
We asked respondents to name their favorite influencer. The results demonstrate how large and diverse the field is.
Most influencers got mentioned just once or twice, and only a handful were mentioned frequently, illustrating how niche the audience is for many influencers.
Results ranged from well-known celebrities to obscure Instagram accounts.
These are the names that received at least three mentions.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 25 THE INFLUENCERS
The most popular influencers are… Respondents were asked to think of their favorite influencers, and name the top three that came to mind. These are the people who received the most mentions.
With the exception of Kylie Jenner, each of the top 5 are YouTubers.
PewDiePie Jeffree Star Shane Dawson Markiplier Kylie Jenner YouTuber YouTuber YouTuber YouTuber Model, media personality 64 mentions 61 mentions 43 mentions 38 mentions 35 mentions
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 26 THE INFLUENCERS
For Gen Z, YouTubers are as well-known and well-liked as major celebrities Ninety-five percent of Gen Z males are familiar with PewDiePie – the same level of name ID as Lebron James. What’s more, this cohort has a more favorable view of PewDiePie than James.
AMONG GEN Z WOMEN AMONG GEN Z MEN
Name ID Fav Name ID Fav
Beyoncé 99% 67% Justin Bieber 98% 18%
Zendaya 95% 72% PewDiePie 95% 62%
Shane Dawson 86% 51% Lebron James 95% 55%
Serena Williams 81% 38% Steph Curry 86% 47%
Jennifer Aniston 80% 44% Elon Musk 84% 57%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 27 THE INFLUENCERS
Jeffree Star is far more popular with Gen Z women than men The tables highlight demographic groups that have particularly favorable and unfavorable opinions of each influencer.
Have a particularly favorable opinion Have a particularly unfavorable opinion
PewDiePie Jeffree Star Shane Dawson
Fav Unfav Fav Unfav Fav Unfav
Gen Z men 62% 20% Gen Z women 40% 26% Gen Z women 51% 14%
Frequent social media 13-16 year-olds 58% 19% 34% 25% 13-16 year-olds 44% 18% purchasers*
Republican men 44% 19% 13-16 year-olds 28% 23% Hispanics 37% 19%
Clinton voters 17% 27% Gen Z men 15% 28% Gen Z men 30% 23%
Millennial women 13% 17% Conservatives 17% 26% Democratic men 22% 22%
Shane Dawson appeals to similar demographics as Jeffree Star, but is more universally well-liked.
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 28 THE INFLUENCERS
Shane Dawson is beloved by many teenagers, but most older millennials don’t even know who he is
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of Shane Dawson?
Very favorable Somewhat favorable Heard of, no opinion Never heard of Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable
Age: 13-16 28% 16% 23% 16% 10% 8%
Age: 17-21 21% 17% 29% 14% 8% 10%
Age: 22-26 13% 13% 25% 28% 10% 10%
Age: 27-31 8% 8% 23% 46% 6% 8%
Age: 32-38 5% 8% 19% 60% 4% 4%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 29 THE INFLUENCERS
Zendaya is hugely popular with young women
72% of Gen Z women have a favorable view of Zendaya. That’s higher than Rihanna (71%), Ellen (69%), and Beyoncé (67%).
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of Zendaya?
Very favorable Somewhat favorable Heard of, no opinion Never heard of Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable
Gen-Z Women 46% 26% 12% 5% 6% 5%
Gen-Z Men 21% 25% 26% 19% 5% 4%
Millennial 23% 22% 24% 23% 4%3% Women
Millennial Men 16% 18% 25% 29% 7% 5%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 30 THE INFLUENCERS
Even among Gen Z women, the Kardashians are highly divisive
Kylie, Kendall, and Kim all have net negative favorability ratings with Gen Z women.
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of each of the following?
Very favorable Somewhat favorable Heard of, no opinion Never heard of Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable
Kylie Jenner 13% 22% 22% 18% 23%
Kendall Jenner 11% 20% 25% 19% 20%
Kim Kardashian 11% 20% 19% 20% 29%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 31 THE INFLUENCERS
Despite prominence, certain top influencers are divisive
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of each of the following?
Very favorable Somewhat favorable Heard of, no opinion Never heard of Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable
JAMES CHARLES Gen-Z Men 5% 9% 21% 15% 13% 36%
Gen-Z Women 8% 14% 16% 12% 17% 33%
JEFFREE STAR Gen-Z Men 8% 7% 22% 34% 10% 18%
Gen-Z Women 21% 19% 20% 14% 12% 14%
TATI WESTBROOK Gen-Z Men 5% 23% 46% 7% 16%
Gen-Z Women 7% 10% 24% 34% 13% 12%
THE INFLUENCER REPORT: Engaging Gen Z and Millennials 32 WWW.MORNINGCONSULT.COM