Using social media celebrities to advertise products – influencer marketing – is a lucrative and rapidly growing industry, projected to be worth up to $15 billion by 2022.
Influencers profit from their online fame by collaborating with brands, endorsing products to their followers in return for a payment (or free goods and experiences).
Some influencers are established stars seeking an additional income stream (the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, charges up to $1.6 million for an endorsement on Instagram). Others may have recently found fame on reality TV shows like Love Island, an experience that can spark a barrage of endorsement deals.
But among the most successful influencers are ordinary consumers who have risen to fame on social media, often within a specific community. For instance, Zoella’s make-up hauls gained traction within the YouTube beauty community, earning her 11 million channel subscribers. “Cleanfluencer” Mrs Hinch, meanwhile, boasts…