Influencers are people who have established an engaged community that knows, likes and trusts them – and pays attention when they, for example, demonstrate how to cook with onions in a way that feels easy, useful, delicious or worth trying.

It’s an influencer’s ability to spark active engagement with their content that can turn them into a marketer’s dream. Rather than passively and begrudgingly being served advertising, people who ‘follow’ or actively seek out influencers are happy to consume their messaging.

Independent creative company Thinkerbell often uses influencers as part of their marketing mix when crafting Hort Innovations campaigns.

“I think what influencer marketing brings to the table is that kind of word-of-mouth element,” says Thinkerbell’s Saynaree Oudomvilay.

“Traditional channels can be more one-sided, whereas influencers are real living, breathing people with a really engaged community. It opens up that two-way dialogue, which is so valuable to creating deeper connections.”

“You are almost borrowing their influence.”

- Thinkerbell’s Head Earned Thinker, Say Oudomvilay