Developments in Influencer Marketing to Promote Italian Brands in the United States

Collaborating with “Grandfluencers,” influencers over seventy who promote U.S. businesses among American Gen Z on TikTok and Instagram

The year 2021 redefined the role of brands in the lives of American consumers of all ages. Influenced by new habits and new buying behaviors of their customers, brands in the United States have had to prioritize the digital: post-pandemic marketing has thus placed more emphasis on the role of influencers in the promotional strategies of companies active in the U.S. market.

Lately, the influencer marketing sector in America is becoming populated with “grandfluencers” or senior influencers, people over seventy with a significant following of young fans on social media. Ambitious and setting an example for young American consumers, influencers over 70 are turning the businesses of companies in the United States they collaborate with into gold through partnerships.

But above all, senior influencers are showing American consumers who use social media that there's no need to fear aging. These increasingly contacted figures by brands across America, in fact, do a lot of things: they tend to their gardens, create makeup tutorials, showcase their favorite looks on Amazon, and promote health and sports by wearing brands very popular among Millennials and Gen Z (like Women’s Best)

There is a high demand for influencers in America: U.S. brands want to conquer social media

The results of the influencer marketing market are significant for small businesses that want to start selling in the United States

Influencer marketing continues to grow in America, and Instagram data proves it [Source: Klear, 2022 State of Influencer Marketing]:

• In 2021, the number of sponsored posts in America increased by 26.7% compared to 2020: we're talking about 3,798,505 posts shared by influencers in the USA;
• In the United States alone, sponsored stories increased by 33.5%, with influencers creating about 16 sponsored stories a week;
• 91% of the engagement created by sponsored posts in America involved content from micro-influencers.

On TikTok, the social platform of American Gen Z, the most viewed sponsored content is created by influencers with between 50,000 and 500,000 followers (55%) or less: here too, micro-influencers with a following between 1,000 and 10,000 followers are the choice of many companies that want to promote their brand in the USA (23%).

Establishing a brand's presence on social media is key to connecting with American consumers of the new generations

Engaging grandfluencers seems to be the most advantageous way to build strong and lasting relationships with American Gen Z and Millennials

Some grandfluencers can attract large swathes of consumers, like the “The Old Gays” who have conquered TikTok with over 5.5 million followers (including Rihanna!). Even when they reach smaller audiences, however, senior influencers prove to be powerful creators of content, capable of boosting sales for many companies active in the United States.

Moreover, the authenticity that Americans see in these 2.0 creators is worth at least twice that of younger influencers: there are very few over-seventies using Instagram and TikTok, and their way of promoting brands in the USA is so unexpected and fresh that it manages to earn the trust of American consumers in no time.

In short, a new opportunity for success has opened up for companies looking to start selling in the United States. Through collaboration with grandfluencers, today's brands can truly create awareness among American consumers, showing their most human and real face to the generations whose priority is precisely spontaneity.