Ogilvy Reveals Six Key Influencer Marketing Trends

A new Ogilvy Red Paper delves into six transformative influence trends that will shape and define  2024. With The Creator Economy estimated to be worth $500 billion by 2027, what does that mean for brands? An  impressive 96% of the creator economy is yet to be tapped into and properly utilized. The findings in this report can help ensure brands benefit from influencer marketing as global ad spend in the space continues to rise. Read the full report  here. 

The future of influence is one where influencers are not just adjuncts to marketing campaigns, but an integral component  of brand strategies. This evolution is challenging brands to think bigger and bolder; forging robust relationships with  creators that transcend traditional collaboration models. Led by Rahul Titus, Ogilvy's Global Head of Influence, a diverse  group of global Influence experts dive into the following six trends: 

1. The Year of Sport. Driving cultural impact will go beyond the field in 2024 – from the impact of the Olympics  being streamed on TikTok for the first time to the burgeoning fascination with sports stars off the field. Taylor  Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship, for example, has brought a new legion of fans for Kelce and he’s seen an  uptick in 1.6 million Instagram followers. 
2. AI Influence Goes Hyper-Personal. AI will tighten its grip on Influencer marketing as Meta rolls out its AI  Personas in the new year. Virtual twins of household names such as Kendall Jenner – named Billie – will shift  Influence from passive spectatorship to hyper-personalized interactions in ways fans once thought was  impossible. 
3. Sonic influence. The sound of influence is another core trend set to dominate. Christina Aguilera and Latto’s viral  ‘hip-hopera’ duet for Just Eat received five times the mentions across the UK, Ireland and Australia Katy Perry’s  had last year, while Garnier-owned hip-hop track Micellar Rewind – used by Influencers when showing the  benefits of a make-up remover – has 4.3 billion views. Sonic and visual identity are not mutually exclusive, both will complement each other in the coming year to amplify profiles, gain cultural resonance and improve share of  voice for brands. 
4. Sustainable Influence. The importance of influencing a better tomorrow will continue to impact Influencer  content too. Brands’ ESG claims are under a magnifying glass from fans ready to call out greenwashing. Couple this with the pressure on Influencers to hold themselves accountable when making claims, 84% of creators say  they’re hesitant to post about climate change and the environment for fear of backlash. 
5. Employee Advocacy. Internal voices will increasingly drive external impact. Nearly nine-in-ten (89%) of C-Suite  marketers recognize the benefits of employee advocacy on platforms such as LinkedIn, but 2024 will usher in  more B2C brands capitalizing on their employees’ influence. They quickly win over consumers’ trust thanks to  their uniquely informed insights and authentic advocacy of a business. 
6. From second screen to main screen. The report cites how livestreaming across social platforms will continue to  be a critical medium. 66% of brands already report that creator-led content delivers more ROI than traditional  ads and Gen Z are also Christmas shopping on TikTok for the first time. Influencers could see revenue  opportunities through livestreaming over traditional subscription models as more platforms integrate payment  schemes. 

Rahul Titus, Ogilvy’s Global Head of Influence, said: “Influence is still growing rapidly. These trends show the huge  amount of untapped potential, especially in new spaces like health, employee advocacy and in new formats like sonic or  AI influence. 96% of the creator economy is still untapped meaning the possibilities are endless - this should excite  brands, offering them unique and evolving ways to interact with audiences and stand out in a cluttered marketplace.”

Since 2017 Rahul has worked with Ogilvy’s Influence team to establish the network’s unparalleled leadership and  authority around the Influence economy. Rahul and his team have continually redefined the industry through their  industry-leading thought leadership, launching the network’s inclusive influence initiative and unveiling Ogilvy’s recent  commitment to combat the misuse of beauty and body editing across Influencer content. Ogilvy’s Influence expertise has  set industry standards resulting in flagship new business and Ogilvy becoming the most awarded agency by the  Influencer Marketing Awards for the fifth year in a row. 

“2024 Influencer Trends You Should Care About” is the result of contributions from Rahul and a team spanning Ogilvy’s  Global network including John Harding-Easson, Head of Influence, EMEA; Ansley Williams, Head of Influence, North  America; Imogen Coles, Head of Influence, UK; James Baldwin, Global B2B Influence Lead; Brenda Ho, Associate Director  PR & Influence, APAC; and Sam Johnson Influence Executive, UK.