Media: The real challenge is authority

The decade of 2000 was big for social media as it became the latest internet toy, and it has gone on to significantly impact generations. It has wandered far from the “sharing with friends” premise to influencing followers, though this report questions whether it is really moving the needle:

There is a mistake that the yachting industry seems to be making with increasing frequency: confusing the ability to generate visibility with the authority required to genuinely influence a market.

The rise of influencers has undoubtedly changed the way companies and products are presented. It would be wrong to dismiss their value altogether. Social media platforms have opened new channels, created different forms of communication and made it possible to reach audiences that traditional media would have struggled to engage.

The problem begins when follower numbers alone become the measure of a communicator’s value.

One million followers do not necessarily mean one million potential customers. And, particularly in the yachting industry, they certainly do not automatically provide access to a community that is genuinely interested, knowledgeable, or commercially relevant to the sector. – Full report