Should Brands Be Scared of the De-influencing Trend? 品牌害怕“反种草”吗？

马修·基根/文　商裴裴/译

In early 2023， scrolling on social media meant being bombarded with any number of ring-lit influencers trying to convince you to buy something you most probably don’t need with money you would probably be better off saving.

2023年年初，刷一刷社交媒体，你就会遭到万千网红的狂轰乱炸。在环形补光灯前面，他们想方设法让你用原本可以存起来的钱，购买一些你可能根本就不需要的东西。

And then came a cost of living crisis and with it the rise of the “de-influencer”.

随后，生活成本危机爆发，“反种草”网红随之兴起。

“Generally， we see young people are rejecting the pressures and expectations perpetuated by social media and influencer culture，” says Paul Greenwood， head of research & insight at We Are Social.

“总体来说，我们看见年轻人正在抵制长久以来社交媒体和网红文化带给他们的压力和期待。”维奥思社研究与洞察部负责人保罗·格林伍德说。

De-influencing or re-influencing？

“反种草”还是“重新种草”？

According to Shir Lee Akazawa， social media manager at Virtue1 APAC， marketers and brands need to recognise the motivations driving de-influencing—a desire for raw and real information from credible sources and pivot their influencer strategy accordingly.

Virtue亚太分部社交媒体经理希尔·李·赤泽说，营销人员和品牌方要先认清“反种草”浪潮背后的诱因，即消费者迫切希望通过可靠渠道获取未经加工的真实信息，再对自己的网红营销策略作出相应调整。

“Rather than worrying about ‘de-influencing’， we should perhaps look at it like ‘re-influencing’，” says Akazawa. “Opening up conversations and welcoming different perspectives from a range of credible sources to enable consumers to make informed purchases， instead of paying for blind product endorsements.”

“与其担心‘反种草’，我们或许应该把它看成‘重新种草’。”赤泽说，“开启对话，听取来自多方可靠渠道的不同观点，让消费者花钱花得明明白白，不再为非理性的产品宣传买单。”

Is de-influencing feeding the shift towards conscious consumerism？

“反種草”是否在推动向理性消费的转变？

According to Vice Media Group2’s retail report of 2022， young people are checking in with themselves before checking out with a purchase—77% of young people are asking themselves， “Do I really need this？” before making a purchase.

2022年Vice媒体集团的零售报告指出，现在年轻人去买东西，结账前都会跟自己确认一番——77%的年轻人买东西前会问自己“我真的需要这个吗？”

Olivia Plotnick， founder of Wai Social， a boutique social media marketing agency based out of Shanghai， says that de-influencing can be seen as a part of the shift towards conscious consumerism， particularly among younger consumers.

奥利维娅·普洛特尼克是总部位于上海的奢侈品社交媒体营销机构“我爱社交”的创始人。她说，消费趋于理性，这在年轻消费群体中尤为突出，“反种草”则可以看作理性消费转向过程的一部分。

“De-influencing is connected to the rise in younger consumers looking for better-quality products，” adds Plotnick. “Consumers who prioritise conscious consumption tend to place more value on the quality， authenticity， and transparency of the products they purchase. They are willing to pay a premium for products that align with their values.”

“年輕一代的消费者越来越追求更优质的产品，‘反种草’应运而生。”普洛特尼克补充道，“优先考虑理性消费的消费者往往更看重所购产品的质量、真伪和透明度。与自己价值观相符的产品，他们愿意出高价购买。”

Roana Brito， group strategy director at R/GA3， says that de-influencing is a response to people’s growing fatigue with excessive consumerism and false claims.

R/GA集团的战略总监罗安娜·布里托认为，“反种草”是人们日益厌倦过度消费主义和虚假宣传的一种表现。

“The uncertain economic climate has forced people to tighten their purse strings， leading them to look for smarter ways to spend their money. Brands and marketers must be transparent and honest in their messaging to appeal to these conscious consumers，” says Brito.

布里托说：“经济形势不明朗，逼得人们必须系紧钱袋子，寻找更加精明的花钱方式。品牌方和营销人员招揽这些理性消费者时，必须做到信息透明、诚实守信。”

Will some brands benefit more from de-influencing than others？

某些品牌会在“反种草”浪潮中获益更多吗？

De-influencing has already had an impact on brands across the board， particularly in highly competitive categories that are increasingly driven by efficacy， such as beauty or technology. But the growing trend has been far from limited to these competitive categories.

“反种草”浪潮下，所有品牌均受到冲击，尤其是像美容或技术等越来越受功效驱动的领域。然而，这股浪潮愈演愈烈，受到波及的已远不止这些竞争异常激烈的领域。

“Interestingly， categories that have been historically motivated by aspiration such as travel or luxury fashion are also increasingly affected by de-influencing，” says Akawaza. “Whether it is the calling out of Instagram travel influencers who have been clearly sponsored by hotels or travel operators， or TikTok accounts that painfully scrutinise every detail of a luxury product to question the exorbitant prices of these goods.”

“旅游、奢侈品等方面的消费历来受主观期望驱使，可有趣的是，它们也日益受到‘反种草’的影响。”赤泽说，“参与其中的有Instagram旅行达人，他们明面上一直受酒店或旅游运营商赞助，现在却大声呼吁‘反种草’；还有一群TikTok博主，他们死抠奢侈品的每一处细节，只为对这些商品的离谱标价提出质疑。”

The “dupe” trend is another one that fits into the broader de-influencing narrative， which saw spike in early 2023 on TikTok and Instagram. The dupe trend is when creators share videos of a high-end product alongside a cheaper or more affordable version that could be used to achieve a similar look or effect.

2023年初，话题标签“平替”杀入TikTok和Instagram的热门趋势榜。从广义上讲，这个话题也属于“反种草”浪潮的范畴。人们在“平替”话题下分享的视频里，高端产品旁边摆放着外形或功效相似，但价格更低廉或更可承受的产品。

“So discounter brands with similar products to high-end versions should be in prime position to take advantage of this shift，” says Greenwood. “Although the product itself will have to be of decent quality.”

“所以说，和高端品牌拥有相似产品的廉价品牌应该会占据最佳位置，能够从这场理性消费转变中获利。”格林伍德说，“当然，产品自身质量必须过硬。”

“Brands that have behaved in less than ethical ways need to be cautious， as they will be the ones who will suffer the most repercussions，” says Brito.

布里托表示：“那些行为不端的品牌得小心了，它们受到的冲击会是最大的。”

Ellie Hooper， account director at leading influencer marketing agency Goat， says that with any trend， there will always be some brands that win more than others， “but the overarching message to all should be that credible and true recommendations and thus authentic partnership reign supreme.”

埃莉·胡珀是网红营销领军企业“够特”的客户总监。她说，不管风向怎么变，总有些品牌赢面更大，“但所有品牌都应该认清最重要的信息，那就是以真实可靠的推荐促成真实的合作关系，如此方可占绝对优势。”

Will de-influencing be the trend to kill influencer marketing？

“反种草”浪潮会将网红营销置于死地吗？

Hooper says de-influencing feels like a consumer-led demand for a reset.

胡珀说，“反种草”感觉就像是消费者主导的重置需求。

“I see it as a natural course correction as we’ve moved too close to the sun4 on consumerism and inauthentic partnerships，” says Hooper. “I think we’ve already seen the impact of the trend and the support it’s received， so I’d like to believe it’s left its mark. For brands， it’s done the job of reminding them that they need to be more considered in their approach to promotion. For consumers， it encourages them to take a step back and reimagine their approach to consumerism. And for influencers， it’s a sign to adopt a more authentic stance on their partnerships in a bid to ensure followers trust their recommendations.”

“在我看來，我们自取毁灭般过于接近消费主义和虚假的合作关系，而‘反种草’则如同合情合理的航向修正。”胡珀说，“我想，我们已经看到这股浪潮带来的影响和它得到的支持，我相信风过留声。对于品牌来说，‘反种草’浪潮给他们提了个醒，对待营销策略须更加深思熟虑。对于消费者来说，‘反种草’则鼓励他们跳脱出来，重新诠释他们对待消费主义的态度。对于网红来说，这也是一个信号，要求他们在合作推广中采取更实事求是的态度，确保粉丝信赖他们推荐的产品。”

But despite its widespread prevalence in culture， it doesn’t look as though de-influencing will kill influencer marketing anytime soon.

“反种草”之风虽然在社会上盛行，但好像并不会立刻致网红营销于死地。

“De-influencing will compel influencer marketing to evolve and take on a more sustained role in the marketing mix，” says Akazawa. “While there is still a role for big name mega influencers to lend their star power and prestige to brands， brands need to create a cohesive influencer mix to drive a holistic outcome， as trust shifts from individual personalities to collectives and communities.”

“‘反种草’会迫使网红营销升级迭代，在综合营销策略中发挥更为持久的作用。”赤泽说，“品牌依然可以借助大牌网红的明星魅力和影响力，但人们已经不再信任个体，转而开始信任团体和社群，那么品牌就需要构建一个融合网红力量的综合策略，集体发力，共促佳绩。”

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1媒体集团Vice旗下的创意代理机构，主打从内部文化着手塑造品牌形象。

2北美一家面向年轻人的全球化新锐媒体集团，主营艺术、文化和新闻主题的杂志和网站。

3全球最大的广告营销机构之一，致力于数字化商业设计和营销传播。

4 be too close to the sun变得过于雄心勃勃或贪婪。此说法来源于希腊神话中伊卡洛斯（Icarus）的故事，他以蜡和羽毛制成翅膀，飞向天空，但因飞得太接近太阳，致蜡融化，最终坠入海中溺亡。