How influencer marketing is changing in Brazil

It’s no secret that we live in the era of digital influencers. It has been some years since social media started gaining attention from advertisers and marketers. And more recently, the power of public figures has captured attention from all over the world. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how influencer marketing is changing in Brazil in particular.

Movie stars, sporting celebrities and models have been used as spokespeople for companies and brands for decades. Real influencer marketing, however, is based on the relation of engagement and trust between a content creator and their followers.

After the Covid-19 pandemic in particular, the growth in audience and engagement on profiles of social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok captured the attention of several brands, who began looking to the internet as a great opportunity to promote their campaigns. 

The figures justify this move towards social media. Influencer marketing has developed impressively, with its overall worth growing from 1.7 billion dollars in 2016 to an estimated 16.4 billion dollars in 2022. 

Datas reveal how influencers have changed marketing for good, focusing marketing strategies online and away from television, for example. In this promising landscape, Brazil has become the largest influencer marketing market in the world.

According to research from the Global Consumer Survey, 40% of the country’s population has been impacted by influencer marketing since 2021. 

Numbers don’t lie, and offer compelling evidence of how influencer marketing is changing in Brazil. But the country’s entry into this market is not as recent as you might think. Profiles which are now considered to be “influencers” were able to conquer this space thanks to the advent of “creators” some years ago. 

Thanks to explosive social media growth, a wide range of content (texts, stories, videos, among others) began to be posted online. Massive demand for these types of content led to an increase in the movement towards monetization. 

Certain names that rose to prominence with the popularisation of YouTube videos in 2010 are still well-known today. Felipe Neto is one such example. 

A little over 12 years ago, Neto began producing videos about trending topics, including critiques of contemporary artists and celebrities, built around an aggressively ironic tone. 

His channel, which was launched under the name Não Faz Sentido (“It Doesn’t Make Sense”) was a pioneer in the national online landscape. Since then, the channel has changed its name, its focus and its ways of producing content. Neto has also made a name for himself in the business world. 

Capitalising on his knowledge and online experience, the YouTuber now runs a company specialising in digital influencers, called Play 9 – while continuing to amass millions of followers on every major social media platform. 

As multiple examples show, influencer marketing can take many different forms, and is expanding as the definition of influencers themselves continues to evolve. 

Considering who will best connect with your audience is key. Identifying the influencers with the greatest following, or those who have more partnerships, is easy. But these profiles may not necessarily make sense for specific companies or campaigns. So it is important to identify influencers who resonate with a specific audience, in order to maintain brand authenticity. 

When it comes to influencer marketing, what we do daily confirms that timing is key. With videos going viral and memes being shared all the time, it is worth paying attention to how influencer marketing is changing and constantly adapting to current trends. 

To keep up to date, in addition to browsing social media, we recommend seeking out specialised agencies, such as our Latin American Marketing and PR agency, Sherlock Communications. 

If you enjoyed this topic, you can get in touch with us to receive a customized proposal, or keep browsing our blog for more tips.