The remarkable rise of the influencer in the marketing industry has created thousands of opportunities for public figures, with the influencer marketing industry estimated to be worth 13.8 billion USD in 2021, and the employment of influencers within U.S companies for marketing purposes has risen from 55.4% to 74.4% between 2019 and 2022.
Thousands of influencers have reaped the benefits that have been provided within the modern era due to the rise of the internet and digital celebrities. However, the disenfranchisem*nt of minority group and lack of diversity continues to be an issue within modern influencer marketing practices and representation despite efforts.
What is Diversity? Why Should Companies Invest in Diversity?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, diversity is the act including people of various social, ethnic, gender or sexual orientation, and providing all parties with equal opportunities and mutual respect.
Diversity is an important consideration for companies, especially in regard to influencer marketing, and must be invested extensively with careful consideration in order to benefit both the influencer and the company.
Diversity within the workplace creates a space where diverging views can be encouraged with a deeper understanding, which encourages innovation and a stronger business growth. Businesses will benefit from a healthy and inclusive work environment with low staff turnover and high satisfaction. These efforts must be reflected in marketing practices.
According to Castro, diverse influencer marketing challenge societal norms and promote inclusivity. Diverse campaigns have the ability to showcase an accurate representation of their consumer audience and broader society, as well as platforming minority voices, leading to greater empathy and understanding among consumers.
Some benefits of inclusive influencer marketing include stronger brand loyalty, higher return on investment, better brand reputation and increased brand authenticity. These will all have a net positive influence on consumer activities and brand recognition, reaching new audiences and tapping into new markets. helping the campaign to become a success.
How Bad is the Racial Pay Gap?
Contrary to developments within the industry that logically should have eliminated barriers, such as the introduction remote working which reduced geographic segregation and lower education barriers as a result of more accessible education, racially divisive pay gaps persist.
A MSL study conducted in 2021 reveals a disappointing truth — 49% of Black influencers and 36% BIPOC influencers reported below market value job offers, which they believe was influenced by racial discriminatory practices. Additionally, 59% of Black influencers and 49% of BIPOC influencers felt that their financial earnings were impacted when they posted about their difficulties with racism in the industry. Similarly, Marketing Week in the UK’s Career and Salary Survey 2023 reported that White marketers are paid 33% more than their Black counterparts on average.
Concerningly, predatory opportunistic practices by companies continue to damage efforts by disadvantaged communities to gain fair pay in the industry. Brands often use Black and BIPOC influencers in marketing campaigns signify support for social issues during periods where there is increased public attention towards racial inequality, but do not make longstanding changes to discriminatory policies.
According to Pei et al, periods of increased racial awareness can result in a temporary pay rise for Black and BIPOC macro-influencers, but the longevity of the positive growth is often short-lived and dependent world events or seasonal holiday periods. For example, Black influencers experienced a higher pay per post between January and February 2020 after the murder of George Floyd sparked worldwide condemnation of systematic brutality against African Americans.
However, research shows that brands tend to avoid employing minority micro-influencers, who will continue to receive less job offers and an average lower payment per post rate, regardless of increased racial social awareness. Again, this disparity represents the brands attempts to maximise brand messaging and reach, rather than to make any real attempts to remedy racial inequality within marketing campaigns.
Reclaiming Agency
Based on the research provided, it is obvious that companies need to do better when it comes to supporting Black and BIPOC influencers. In Fear-Smith’s Digital Voices interview, influencer Cecil Horton encourages influencers to challenge predatory business practices by setting their own pay rates and adding a diversity tax — a cultural taxation designed to compensate the creator for the value their representation brings to the brand.
Fear-Smith also emphasises the importance of racial diversity in leadership roles within marketing agencies. Diversity within leadership roles will assist in addressing racial biases in influencer marketing campaigns and recognising the importance of representing and engaging marginalised communities authentically and meaningfully.
Unfortunately, there is no simple fix. Extensive efforts will have to be made by companies to fairly compensate black and BIPOC influencers and implement diverse business practices. As societal expectations surrounding racial representation transform, companies must adapt their marketing practices to reflect this.
