Singapore – Around 56% of Southeast Asians follow influencers on social media, but 55% remain to have a neutral impression towards them, according to a survey by Milieu Insight.
The survey aims to unveil follower trends and consumer sentiments on influencer marketing as a major advertising tactic.
Based on the data collected, more than 1 out of 2 Southeast Asians follow influencers on social media. This means that 56% of respondents in the Southeast Asian region follow influencers.
A large number of respondents in the Philippines and Vietnam are following influencers at 68% and 71%, respectively, and Thailand takes the middle with 50%. However, on the other end of the spectrum, there is limited interest shown in Singapore, with only 39% of respondents shown to be following influencers.
Looking at the social media platform preference to follow influencers, the top three with the highest votes were Youtube with 72%, and Instagram and Facebook both with 60%.
Gen Z preferred Instagram (64%) and TikTok (58%) to follow influencers, whereas Facebook is more popular among Millennials (69%) and Gen X (74%).
Youtube drew the most interest for respondents in Thailand and the Philippines, while Instagram took the spot in Indonesia and Singapore. Meanwhile, Facebook ranked first in Vietnam.
When it comes to the content that influencers post, the top 5 topics that respondents were most interested in were: lifestyle (54%), entertainment and/or comedy (52%), food (48%), fashion (41%), and travel (40%).
However, gender impacts the preferred content, with men primarily following influencers with content about entertainment or comedy (52%), lifestyle (46%), and technology and gadgets (41%). While women also predominantly favour entertainment and comedy (61%), their other main interests are food (55%), and beauty (53%).
When it comes to influencer impact on consumer purchase, beauty products emerged as the top selling category, driven by influencer content across the region, with the data particularly skewing towards females at 56% and Gen Zs at 46%.
Interestingly, for Baby Boomers or those above 59 years of age, 4 in 10 are swayed by influencer content when it comes to food and beverages. Meanwhile, 32% of the Gen X demographic, or those ranging from ages 43 to 58, indicated they made purchases as a result of following influencer content on technology and gadgets.
However, the survey also revealed that consumers in the region appear to be less susceptible to influencer content that is fitness-related, travel-related products, or purchases of items for children and pets, suggesting a nuanced landscape where influencers wield varying degrees of impact across different product categories.
And with the widespread following of influencers in the region, the survey also dug into the data to unveil the trust factor among SEA consumers. From there, it reveals that user reviews and review sites carry more weight than influencer shout-outs.
Overall, neutrality (51%) is the prevailing sentiment on how much respondents in Southeast Asia trust, if at all, sponsored content from influencers in Southeast Asia. However, there is an exception to this data, with Vietnam showing a positive impression at 60%.
Across age groups, only 5% of Baby Boomers trust influencers a lot, as compared to the average of 7% for Gen Z and Gen X and 8% for Gen Y.
Furthermore, 3 out of 10 Southeast Asians find influencers’ sponsored content informative, and 1 out of 5 credit influencer tactics for introducing them to new brands and products.
With influencers, a following count also matters when it comes to measuring their reach.
The influencers followed by Southeast Asians generally have more than a million followers (36%). This data is consistent across the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. However, the rest of the population is generally impartial to the number of followers an influencer has.
Interestingly enough, there is an even spread among the number of micro, macro, and mega influencers that Southeast Asians follow.
Still, not everyone can be considered an influencer. According to the survey, Southeast Asians consider authenticity (51%), sense of humour (49%), and expertise in a specific area (42%) to be important attributes for an influencer.
Notably, in Indonesia, consistency of recommendations is their top-valued attribute. It is also shown that more Vietnamese value engagement with followers.
Aside from the following, an influencer’s impact also differs depending on the age groups of the respondents or targets. Approximately one-third of the participants stated that influencers have expanded their knowledge about brands and products.
Among those who have bought something based on influencers’ content, the top 3 areas of purchase are beauty (41%), fashion (38%), and food and beverage (37%). For males, this is a slightly different case, with tech/gadgets (41%), food and beverages (36%), and fashion (30%) as their most common products purchased.
While 38% of Baby Boomers in Southeast Asia find that sponsored content from influencers helps them get to know more about a product or brand, they are not looking for new brands, as only 17% feel that the content helps them discover new products or brands.
Meanwhile, Gen Z finds promotion offers to be attractive, with 15% following influencer content because they offer good promotions.
In response to criticism about influencers’ role in consumerism, deinfluencers are now also making a new wave in social media.
Deinfluencers are individuals that challenge consumerist tendencies by offering alternative perspectives on products and trends. Instead of promoting the newest products, they advocate for mindful consumption.
Looking at the data, the majority of Southeast Asians are impartial to both influencer culture and deinfluencers, despite the growing influencer landscape. Surprisingly, 40% claim to have never made a purchase based on influencer content, and 20% of Gen Z state their last influencer-based purchase was over half a year ago. As for awareness of deinfluencers, Vietnam is ahead of the game, where an astonishing 62% have heard of the term.
Despite the neutral impression of influencer content, Milieu Insight reiterates that influencers have some kind of effect on consumers. Through their content, influencers can provide valuable insights, personal experiences, and relatable narratives that resonate with their followers. They have also become trusted sources of information and recommendations for consumers across various niches that can impact consumer purchase decisions.
