The End of Digital Influencer Marketing: PR Mishaps and Public Discontentment

Written by Bri Thel

The Influencer: a new model of celebrity born out of the digital age. The idea of an influencer itself isn't new; a person who exerts influence on others such as a favorite singer, athlete, or model has always existed. But, with today's rise of social media, a new type of influencer has emerged—one known for their online presence alone.

What exactly has made these online “influencers” so successful? Relatability and infatuation. These are key factors when it comes to influencer marketing. Influencers share so much about their lives that they begin to feel like friends rather than people doing their jobs. They post “story time” videos or vlogs of their day that make them feel much closer to their audience than they actually are. So, when an influencer with an audience that relates to them and enjoys watching their daily lives posts about a product they enjoy, that audience feels compelled to buy it. These endorsements used to be authentic, but now are mostly made through gifted or paid public relations collaborations with brands.

For example, TikToker Alix Earle started out as a typical college student sharing fun “Get Ready With Me” videos. Earle clearly had more money than the average college student, but she still gained a large following through her personality and relatable stories.. Her online success grew rapidly, earning her over seven million followers and eventually making her into a multi-millionaire. She even became a shareholder in Poppi, recently bought by PepsiCo.

Poppi was one of the first companies to really feel the shift in public opinion in relation to influencer marketing. During the 2025 Super Bowl, Poppi sent vending machines full of their sodas to social media influencers to post about while the game went on. The company expected to feel the benefit traditionally associated with influencer endorsements: new audiences directly from the influencers followers and increased sales. Instead, viewers saw right through the gimmick. People quickly got to TikTok and shamed both the brand and influencers it collaborated with for wasteful practices (Who could drink that much soda?), and for giving these gifts to already wealthy influencers instead of placing them somewhere for the public to enjoy. The change in tone was clear—the public wants brands to cater to them, not just their favorite influencers. The idea of PR packages and gifts have shifted from a fun thing to watch influencers receive to a noticeably exclusionary practice.

Why is there so much discontent with influencer marketing nowadays? I can certainly name several reasons why. First, consumers are being overwhelmed with advertisements now more than ever. Instagram and Snapchat have gradually integrated ads into their platforms. Users now see advertisements in their feeds, stories, and will even receive personalized “snaps” from brands themselves. TikTok has also jumped on this trend of increased advertising, but unlike other platforms, the app took it a step further. With the introduction of TikTok Shop, where users can literally order products from the app while they scroll, video content is becoming less authentic and more consumerist. Instead of the quality video content that TikTok was founded on, the app is now flooded with creators and brands just trying to sell something. Almost all social media platforms have just become ad after ad. So, when you tune into a post from an influencer that you love, the last thing you want is to be hit with yet another advertisement. Users are simply burnt out.

Through social media and influencer campaigns, customers have also discovered that they are treated differently from the influencers selling them the products.

Rhode Skin, a skincare brand developed by celebrity Hailey Bieber, recently came under fire for its packaging. Customers noticed that when their favorite influencers received PR from the brand, it was well-packaged and pretty. Yet, when regular customers ordered from the brand for themselves, they were met with the product in a large and empty box—barren of the bows and frills influencers receive in their free PR boxes. BÉIS, a luggage brand, recently had a popup that also sewed a lot of discontent. Influencers got to skip the lines and were given several “freebies” from the company, whereas those who waited in line only got one free item or were straight up turned away due to a lack of stock.

Thanks to exposure from normal social media users, audiences have become aware that the influencers they follow are receiving better treatment from brands than they would. On top of this, oversaturation of consumerist culture by both typical users and influencers alike have made these advertisements less effective. Why would anybody want to buy what an influencer promotes after repeated betrayals and the overwhelming experience of an exorbitantly dense influencer market? There is no way of knowing if an influencer actually supports the product they are selling or if they just got paid to sell it to you. And on top of that, who would want the disappointment of knowing that they are paying for a product that influencers got for free?

If brands continue prioritizing those with online influence while leaving the public in the dust, influencer marketing may quickly become counterproductive.