Main Trends of 2022 in Influencer Marketing in Russia

In the realm of advertising, influencer marketing has established itself as a highly effective promotional tool. Recent figures from Collabstr indicate that global spending on influencer marketing has surged by 42% since last year, reaching a staggering $13.8 billion. It is projected to reach nearly $15 billion by the end of 2022.

The trend of using influencer marketing as a promotional tool is gaining momentum in Russia, as advertisers increasingly opt for this method across various platforms and social services. Experts at the Association for the Development of Interactive Advertising (ADIA) have noted a steady increase in interest in influencer marketing in Russia over recent years. Leading brands have effectively integrated bloggers into commercial products, expanded the reach of opinion leaders beyond social networks, and adopted new strategies for engaging with their audiences.

In light of these developments, QB Agency specialists – who possess significant experience working with influencers in Russia – have undertaken their own market research, taking into account both general marketing trends and regional nuances.

About Effectiveness

Influencer marketing offers a high degree of flexibility, which is both a strength and a weakness. When formulating a product promotion strategy, advertisers do not necessarily need a rigid plan for working with influencers. Instead, they must consider various factors, such as the integration channel, audience, budget, and published content. While this affords great freedom in choosing opinion leaders to reach potential audiences, it also carries the risk of selecting an unsuitable influencer that could damage the brand image and user perception.

The success of influencer campaigns depends on whether the company’s values align with those of the opinion leader and their audience. Thus, it is crucial to base such campaigns on analytical data. Nevertheless, the benefits outweigh the risks, since influencer advertising – typically in the form of native brand integration – enjoys a high degree of audience trust and generates positive responses.

Who, Why, and What for: Classifying Influencers in the Advertising Market

A common misconception regarding influencer marketing is that people often conflate influencers with bloggers. In reality, bloggers represent just one subset of influencers, with many other niches and types existing in the market. To understand this, it is important to consider the various types and niches that influencers occupy.

In the Russian advertising market, several classifications of influencers can be identified based on different parameters.

In terms of the number of subscribers, influencers can be classified into several categories:

• Nano influencers (1K-10K subscribers) have a highly engaged audience and enjoy close relationships with their followers. This makes them ideal partners for advertisers launching a campaign or test strategy aimed at reaching a new audience.
• Micro influencers (10K-100K subscribers) also have a close relationship with their followers and specialize in a particular niche, such as beauty or travel. This specificity makes it easier for advertisers to create successful integrations.
• Macro influencers (100K-1M subscribers) are often internet celebrities who work to expand their audience. While they may not communicate with their followers on a personal level, their reach can help brands attract new audiences and improve their reputation.
• Mega influencers/celebrities (1M+ subscribers) require a significant budget for cooperation and offer broad coverage. They are ideal partners for brands seeking to draw attention from a wide range of audience segments within a relatively short period.

Niche influencers:

Gamers – who broadcast on platforms like Twitch and Youtube, have millions of followers. While their content is mostly related to video games, their audience is diverse, making them successful integration partners for brands in other categories like clothing, shoes, and beverages. Gamers produce game reviews, tips, challenges, and team tournaments, which differ based on the game’s genre.

Sports leaders – offer motivational content and endorse health-related products like sports brands, food and beverages, nutrition programs, sports complexes/fitness studios, and much more. They can promote yoga, running, CrossFit, and weight loss depending on the niche and the audience demographics.

Bloggers and vloggers – are currently the most popular type of influencers, with mega- and macro- bloggers/vloggers having a vast number of subscribers. They are divided into reviewers, prankers, and show hosts, with high-quality content that makes them authorities in their respective niches. They can help increase brand awareness, sales, and site traffic.

Photographers – are often approached by well-known companies to promote photo equipment and other accessories, with subscribers varying depending on the content quality.

Travel bloggers – produce a mix of travel tips and reviews of travel brands. Therefore, integrating with them can be used to promote various niches like fitness, places to visit, etc.

Beauty bloggers – are one of the most popular types of influencers, with about 43% of consumers following influential people in the beauty industry. They use reviews of products/brands, tips on how to use them, and more to promote their content on various platforms (Instagram, Telegram, Youtube, etc.), and can easily increase sales and awareness of a particular cosmetic brand. Opinion leaders from this category can vary, from ordinary women who use cosmetics every day to professional makeup artists and celebrities.

Fashion bloggers – specialize in clothing, jewelry and watches, shoes, accessories, etc., making them successful integration partners for a wide range of products. They work directly with fashion brands, creating content that includes video reviews with shopping trips, style tips, and more.

Parents – publish content related to parenting, carrying out product reviews and sharing tips. They promote products in a wide range of industries.

Status in relation to the brand

In terms of their relationship with a brand, there are different types of influencers that advertisers can work with.

Ambassadors are influencers who officially represent a brand to increase product awareness and drive sales. They require a high degree of loyalty and deep understanding of the products, and can be either external celebrities or internal company employees. Both types of ambassadors are highly effective in promoting a brand.

Advocates are experts who have a significant impact on certain matters and are often loyal customers of the brand. Advertisers may use advocates to overcome crisis situations.

Evangelists are loyal users who actively recommend a company’s products to their friends. Marketers are increasingly inviting evangelists to participate in influencer campaigns as their advertising is trusted and engaging, and can attract new audiences.

When selecting influencers, advertisers consider their specific campaign objectives. However, in 2022, marketing experts have identified some general trends in the Russian market. According to a report from the Association for the Development of Interactive Advertising (ADIA), these trends are based on opinions from various experts.

In 2022, Russia will witness key trends in influencer marketing.

To begin with, experts emphasize the importance of utilizing effective analytics for successful influencer marketing campaigns. This includes developing methods for procuring advertising from opinion leaders, evaluating campaign results through the measurement of activation outcomes and KPIs, and conducting profile analyses to identify key factors such as subscriber growth, engagement levels, and reaction rates. Previously, advertisers were content with integration reports presented in the form of publication screenshots, but today, analytics have become increasingly significant.

Moreover, certain opinion leaders have begun to explore alternative avenues of monetizing their content. Influencers are now earning money through donations from subscribers, paid content, merchandise sales, and partnerships for live stream product sales. Additionally, in 2022, the Russian market anticipates the monetization of blogger services through NFT, a method already utilized with success in other countries. This will enable influencers to promote not just their published content, but also digital assets.

To begin with, experts emphasize the importance of competent analytics for successful influencer marketing. This involves implementing mechanisms for advertising procurement from opinion leaders, evaluating KPIs and campaign results, analyzing profiles, and identifying various factors such as subscriber growth, reactions, and engagement. While advertisers previously relied on integration reports in the form of publication screenshots, there is now a greater emphasis on analytics.

Furthermore, some influencers are utilizing non-advertising methods to monetize their work, including donations from subscribers, paid content, merchandise sales, and partner income from live stream sales. Additionally, in 2022, Russia is expected to see the monetization of blogger services through NFT, which allows influencers to promote digital assets in addition to published content.

Advertisers are also exploring alternative integration strategies beyond content, such as collaborations with influencers’ own online products, while also prioritizing long-term partnerships. This is in response to the diminishing effectiveness of excessive product promotion by a single influencer, which tends to drive audiences away from brands. As a result, influencers are being utilized in a variety of advertising formats, not just social media publications.

Finally, there is a growing demand for new faces in the market, particularly from the younger Generation Alpha, who rely heavily on social media and the internet. Authenticity is highly valued by this generation, and they are more likely to trust and follow influencers they can relate to. As a result, ethical cooperation between brands and influencers is becoming increasingly important, as influencers have a responsibility to their younger audience.

Micro-influencers: The Effective Present that Represents the Future

Since the end of 2020, numerous marketing agencies, analytical services, and other stakeholders have acknowledged the efficacy of micro-influencers in promoting products on the market. This has been confirmed by recent findings.

Back in 2018, the Klear service had already noticed the effectiveness of micro-influencers by evaluating the number and quality of sponsored posts on Instagram around the globe. Their findings indicated that around 84% of such posts received up to 1,000 likes per post.

Starting from the end of 2020, numerous market participants, marketing agencies, and analytical services have highlighted the efficacy of micro-influencers in promoting products. The Klear service, for instance, had earlier observed the quality and quantity of sponsored posts by micro-influencers worldwide, reporting that 84% of such posts on Instagram* received up to 1,000 likes per post by the end of 2018.

Following that, Expertvoice experts analyzed the efficacy of integrations from the perspective of bloggers’ audience. They concluded that 82% of consumers were willing to purchase products or services based on the advice of micro-influencers, as they viewed such advertising as friendly recommendations.

Over time, this theory became a reality, and advertisers worldwide attested to the success of micro-influencers. Some of the effective integrations include the Amazon Influencer Program, the L’Occitane in-house corporate campaign, and successful cases on the Russian market, such as Sberbank’s partnership with influencers (via the Perfluence service) within the SberMarket platform. Since 2019, this campaign has resulted in a 30% rise in new customers.

As a result, cooperation with micro-influencers became the standard for numerous companies by 2022. Additionally, these integrations helped many brands retain audience attention during the blocking of top social resources in Russia (Instagram*, Tik Tok, etc.).

According to Perfluence, the demand for micro-influencers’ advertising publications on blocked social networks increased by 30% in Q2 2022. More than 300,000 bloggers from across Russia participated in the survey, and roughly 200,000 publications from March 7 to April 25, 2022, were analyzed. The findings showed that 60% of advertising integrations were made by bloggers with an audience of up to 50,000 subscribers, and 90% of advertisers were Russian companies. Furthermore, the number of advertising contracts with influencers having over 200,000 subscribers declined by 50%.

According to experts, the rise in micro-influencers’ earnings and advertising integrations’ effectiveness can be attributed to the emergence of new brands that require active promotion. Despite the continued use of blocked social networking websites via VPN, major bloggers’ integrations are now less effective due to low audience engagement. Additionally, some opinion leaders have shifted their focus to domestic resources, but only a small percentage of their subscribers tend to follow them. Thus, advertisers are turning to micro-influencers who have high audience engagement and lower integration costs.

In 2022, campaigns with micro-influencers can be considered a “lifesaver” for new brands and those who have not yet adapted to new promotion tools. Regardless of the category of influencer, success in influencer marketing requires a strategic approach, clear goals, and thorough analysis.

For those looking to tap into the Russian market, QB Agency’s experts are ready to help find the right influencers for your products based on your promotion goals and objectives.