All About Instagram Influencers And How They've Changed Advertising

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News, Religion & Spirituality, News Commentary, Spirituality, Society & Culture

4.7 • 9.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2019

⏱️ 31 minutes

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Summary

Social media influencers have changed the marketing industry. Brands now pour billions of dollars into partnering with people who can reach audiences on platforms like Instagram and YouTube — whether they're advertising a handbag, a video game or a meal at a local restaurant. But what does it take to become an influencer, and what happens when your livelihood is tied to a platform that's not your own? Sam talks with an influencer, a reporter who covers the industry and an executive who helps influencers achieve stardom.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Marissa Grossman is an Instagram influencer. She has 178,000 followers. Her account on Insta is
0:07.0	called Fashion Ambitionist. On the platform, Marissa plugs content and merchandise from clothing
0:12.8	brands and beauty brands and a bunch of swimsuit companies. And she runs brand partnerships at Goop,
0:18.8	Gwyneth Paltrow's Women's Lifestyle Site. Grossman basically lives on Instagram.
0:23.7	Video and photo of her life every day shared with all of her followers. So, it only made sense when
0:29.6	her boyfriend, Gabriel Grossman, wanted to propose. He did it on Instagram.
0:35.3	Literally freaking out, his star go crying. It's Tuesday.
0:37.9	He gave his doing an Instagram story proposing to me through Instagram.
0:42.6	Gabriel arranged a multi-day wedding proposal scavenger hunt from Marissa.
0:47.2	I have the most important question I like to ask you.
0:51.1	Problem is, we're not really introducing our weddings.
0:54.0	That really are style. He flew her from New York City to Montac to Miami to Paris along the way
1:01.6	extravagant and expensive gifts the whole time. But it would need to be an extraordinary adventure
1:06.9	unlike any proposal I ever seen. Something you experience, joy, and you know, capture the
1:12.0	gram so we know what happened. At the end of this Insta journey, there was a wedding ceremony.
1:17.2	We're married, guys. I have my grandmothers ring on. Keep sure you're a ring.
1:22.5	It all seemed like the most beautiful thing. But soon after this proposal Insta journey began,
1:28.8	stories began to circulate that Gabriel Grossman and one of Marissa's friends
1:33.2	had pitched the entire thing to a bunch of brands. This entire thing, it seemed, was all one big
1:38.7	piece of sponsored content. In which the product, the thing for sale, was this couple's actual
1:44.7	relationship. How in the world did we get here?
1:54.6	You're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR. I am Sam Sanders and today's show, it's all about
	...

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