Italian businesses valued the positive effects of influencer marketing campaigns. In 2019, about one in four Italian companies rolled out two or more marketing campaigns through social media influencers, while roughly half of the businesses surveyed in a poll stated they intended to invest even more on it in 2020. When choosing an influencer, the quality of content and the reputation seemed to be relevant factors, while influencers accepted projects based on the amount of economical compensation.
The audience response to influencer marketing depends on several factors. Firstly, not all categories are followed with the same interest. Influencers releasing content related to clothing and accessories, lifestyle, and beauty are more popular than the ones in the automotive and luxury sectors. The interaction of users with influencers is rather limited. Followers prefer to leave a comment under the influencer’s social media post to express their opinions. The purchase of products sponsored by influencers was more common among female users and it was usually achieved through online channels. As far as influencer rankings are concerned, the model and celebrity Chiara Ferragni is the most followed Italian influencer, with almost twenty million followers on Instagram. Since 2020, she is also on Tik Tok with over three million views of her videos, on average.
