Should Brands Be Scared of the De-influencing Trend? 品牌害怕“反種草”嗎？

馬修·基根/文　商裴裴/譯

In early 2023， scrolling on social media meant being bombarded with any number of ring-lit influencers trying to convince you to buy something you most probably don’t need with money you would probably be better off saving.

2023年年初，刷一刷社交媒體，你就會遭到萬千網紅的狂轟亂炸。在環形補光燈前面，他們想方設法讓你用原本可以存起來的錢，購買一些你可能根本就不需要的東西。

And then came a cost of living crisis and with it the rise of the “de-influencer”.

隨后，生活成本危機爆發，“反種草”網紅隨之興起。

“Generally， we see young people are rejecting the pressures and expectations perpetuated by social media and influencer culture，” says Paul Greenwood， head of research & insight at We Are Social.

“總體來說，我們看見年輕人正在抵制長久以來社交媒體和網紅文化帶給他們的壓力和期待?！本S奧思社研究與洞察部負責人保羅·格林伍德說。

De-influencing or re-influencing？

“反種草”還是“重新種草”？

According to Shir Lee Akazawa， social media manager at Virtue1 APAC， marketers and brands need to recognise the motivations driving de-influencing—a desire for raw and real information from credible sources and pivot their influencer strategy accordingly.

Virtue亞太分部社交媒體經理希爾·李·赤澤說，營銷人員和品牌方要先認清“反種草”浪潮背后的誘因，即消費者迫切希望通過可靠渠道獲取未經加工的真實信息，再對自己的網紅營銷策略作出相應調整。

“Rather than worrying about ‘de-influencing’， we should perhaps look at it like ‘re-influencing’，” says Akazawa. “Opening up conversations and welcoming different perspectives from a range of credible sources to enable consumers to make informed purchases， instead of paying for blind product endorsements.”

“與其擔心‘反種草’，我們或許應該把它看成‘重新種草’?！背酀烧f，“開啟對話，聽取來自多方可靠渠道的不同觀點，讓消費者花錢花得明明白白，不再為非理性的產品宣傳買單?！?/p>

Is de-influencing feeding the shift towards conscious consumerism？

“反種草”是否在推動向理性消費的轉變？

According to Vice Media Group2’s retail report of 2022， young people are checking in with themselves before checking out with a purchase—77% of young people are asking themselves， “Do I really need this？” before making a purchase.

2022年Vice媒體集團的零售報告指出，現在年輕人去買東西，結賬前都會跟自己確認一番——77%的年輕人買東西前會問自己“我真的需要這個嗎？”

Olivia Plotnick， founder of Wai Social， a boutique social media marketing agency based out of Shanghai， says that de-influencing can be seen as a part of the shift towards conscious consumerism， particularly among younger consumers.

奧利維婭·普洛特尼克是總部位于上海的奢侈品社交媒體營銷機構“我愛社交”的創始人。她說，消費趨于理性，這在年輕消費群體中尤為突出，“反種草”則可以看作理性消費轉向過程的一部分。

“De-influencing is connected to the rise in younger consumers looking for better-quality products，” adds Plotnick. “Consumers who prioritise conscious consumption tend to place more value on the quality， authenticity， and transparency of the products they purchase. They are willing to pay a premium for products that align with their values.”

“年輕一代的消費者越來越追求更優質的產品，‘反種草’應運而生。”普洛特尼克補充道，“優先考慮理性消費的消費者往往更看重所購產品的質量、真偽和透明度。與自己價值觀相符的產品，他們愿意出高價購買。”

Roana Brito， group strategy director at R/GA3， says that de-influencing is a response to people’s growing fatigue with excessive consumerism and false claims.

R/GA集團的戰略總監羅安娜·布里托認為，“反種草”是人們日益厭倦過度消費主義和虛假宣傳的一種表現。

“The uncertain economic climate has forced people to tighten their purse strings， leading them to look for smarter ways to spend their money. Brands and marketers must be transparent and honest in their messaging to appeal to these conscious consumers，” says Brito.

布里托說：“經濟形勢不明朗，逼得人們必須系緊錢袋子，尋找更加精明的花錢方式。品牌方和營銷人員招攬這些理性消費者時，必須做到信息透明、誠實守信?！?/p>

Will some brands benefit more from de-influencing than others？

某些品牌會在“反種草”浪潮中獲益更多嗎？

De-influencing has already had an impact on brands across the board， particularly in highly competitive categories that are increasingly driven by efficacy， such as beauty or technology. But the growing trend has been far from limited to these competitive categories.

“反種草”浪潮下，所有品牌均受到沖擊，尤其是像美容或技術等越來越受功效驅動的領域。然而，這股浪潮愈演愈烈，受到波及的已遠不止這些競爭異常激烈的領域。

“Interestingly， categories that have been historically motivated by aspiration such as travel or luxury fashion are also increasingly affected by de-influencing，” says Akawaza. “Whether it is the calling out of Instagram travel influencers who have been clearly sponsored by hotels or travel operators， or TikTok accounts that painfully scrutinise every detail of a luxury product to question the exorbitant prices of these goods.”

“旅游、奢侈品等方面的消費歷來受主觀期望驅使，可有趣的是，它們也日益受到‘反種草’的影響?！背酀烧f，“參與其中的有Instagram旅行達人，他們明面上一直受酒店或旅游運營商贊助，現在卻大聲呼吁‘反種草’；還有一群TikTok博主，他們死摳奢侈品的每一處細節，只為對這些商品的離譜標價提出質疑。”

The “dupe” trend is another one that fits into the broader de-influencing narrative， which saw spike in early 2023 on TikTok and Instagram. The dupe trend is when creators share videos of a high-end product alongside a cheaper or more affordable version that could be used to achieve a similar look or effect.

2023年初，話題標簽“平替”殺入TikTok和Instagram的熱門趨勢榜。從廣義上講，這個話題也屬于“反種草”浪潮的范疇。人們在“平替”話題下分享的視頻里，高端產品旁邊擺放著外形或功效相似，但價格更低廉或更可承受的產品。

“So discounter brands with similar products to high-end versions should be in prime position to take advantage of this shift，” says Greenwood. “Although the product itself will have to be of decent quality.”

“所以說，和高端品牌擁有相似產品的廉價品牌應該會占據最佳位置，能夠從這場理性消費轉變中獲利?！备窳治榈抡f，“當然，產品自身質量必須過硬?！?/p>

“Brands that have behaved in less than ethical ways need to be cautious， as they will be the ones who will suffer the most repercussions，” says Brito.

布里托表示：“那些行為不端的品牌得小心了，它們受到的沖擊會是最大的。”

Ellie Hooper， account director at leading influencer marketing agency Goat， says that with any trend， there will always be some brands that win more than others， “but the overarching message to all should be that credible and true recommendations and thus authentic partnership reign supreme.”

埃莉·胡珀是網紅營銷領軍企業“夠特”的客戶總監。她說，不管風向怎么變，總有些品牌贏面更大，“但所有品牌都應該認清最重要的信息，那就是以真實可靠的推薦促成真實的合作關系，如此方可占絕對優勢?！?/p>

Will de-influencing be the trend to kill influencer marketing？

“反種草”浪潮會將網紅營銷置于死地嗎？

Hooper says de-influencing feels like a consumer-led demand for a reset.

胡珀說，“反種草”感覺就像是消費者主導的重置需求。

“I see it as a natural course correction as we’ve moved too close to the sun4 on consumerism and inauthentic partnerships，” says Hooper. “I think we’ve already seen the impact of the trend and the support it’s received， so I’d like to believe it’s left its mark. For brands， it’s done the job of reminding them that they need to be more considered in their approach to promotion. For consumers， it encourages them to take a step back and reimagine their approach to consumerism. And for influencers， it’s a sign to adopt a more authentic stance on their partnerships in a bid to ensure followers trust their recommendations.”

“在我看來，我們自取毀滅般過于接近消費主義和虛假的合作關系，而‘反種草’則如同合情合理的航向修正?！焙暾f，“我想，我們已經看到這股浪潮帶來的影響和它得到的支持，我相信風過留聲。對于品牌來說，‘反種草’浪潮給他們提了個醒，對待營銷策略須更加深思熟慮。對于消費者來說，‘反種草’則鼓勵他們跳脫出來，重新詮釋他們對待消費主義的態度。對于網紅來說，這也是一個信號，要求他們在合作推廣中采取更實事求是的態度，確保粉絲信賴他們推薦的產品?！?/p>

But despite its widespread prevalence in culture， it doesn’t look as though de-influencing will kill influencer marketing anytime soon.

“反種草”之風雖然在社會上盛行，但好像并不會立刻致網紅營銷于死地。

“De-influencing will compel influencer marketing to evolve and take on a more sustained role in the marketing mix，” says Akazawa. “While there is still a role for big name mega influencers to lend their star power and prestige to brands， brands need to create a cohesive influencer mix to drive a holistic outcome， as trust shifts from individual personalities to collectives and communities.”

“‘反種草’會迫使網紅營銷升級迭代，在綜合營銷策略中發揮更為持久的作用?！背酀烧f，“品牌依然可以借助大牌網紅的明星魅力和影響力，但人們已經不再信任個體，轉而開始信任團體和社群，那么品牌就需要構建一個融合網紅力量的綜合策略，集體發力，共促佳績。”

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1媒體集團Vice旗下的創意代理機構，主打從內部文化著手塑造品牌形象。

2北美一家面向年輕人的全球化新銳媒體集團，主營藝術、文化和新聞主題的雜志和網站。

3全球最大的廣告營銷機構之一，致力于數字化商業設計和營銷傳播。

4 be too close to the sun變得過于雄心勃勃或貪婪。此說法來源于希臘神話中伊卡洛斯（Icarus）的故事，他以蠟和羽毛制成翅膀，飛向天空，但因飛得太接近太陽，致蠟融化，最終墜入海中溺亡。