Please respond to this statement and have a reaction towards it.

According to Guy Bergstrom (2020), an award-winning journalist with experience in public relations, opinion leaders validate a brand or business. They also develop trust between consumers and the company (Bergstrom 2020).Before the age of social media, I can remember countless commercials featuring famous actors, sports stars, and even radio show hosts attempting to influence consumer behavior. These opinion leaders were icons that many consumers looked up to and admired.In a marketer's mind, what cosmetic enthusiast wouldn't want to wear the same make-up brand that a beautiful actress who just won an Oscar is wearing?What sports enthusiast wouldn't want to experience the same thirst-quenching power that Gatorade provides for the ENTIRE NFL?While all of that still exists (Shaq/General Insurance commercials), social media influencers have come a long way as opinion leaders in a short amount of time.I believe this is significant because many social media influencers aren't celebrities or famous athletes.Many of them seem to be normal people, leading normal lives, enduring the same existence as the rest of us.So, when you're scrolling through Instagram and see that one of your favorite people to follow is using a new product, your pay attention.Often they are trying it out, talking about how they like it and probably where you can get it. This is a much more immersive experience for consumers than a traditional commercial.This is incredibly advantageous for marketers because they are probably not paying an exorbitant amount of money to air a commercial and to hire said celebrity/public figure.Meanwhile, they are reaching their target markets.

Paige Spiranac (https://www.instagram.com/_paige.renee/) is popular in the golf community and has a page on Instagram with 3.1 million followers. She coined herself as "The OG Insta Golf Girl." She often promotes products such as new clubs and various golf accessories, as well as PGA events.A recent post, promoting a head cover for a putter, got over 133,000 likes. That's a lot of exposure.Most recently she's become an ambassador for @pointsbetusa which is an online sports gambling platform for which she talks about who's likely to win various sporting events and gambling odds. I believe she is successful as an opinion leader not only because she's astonishingly attractive but because she also engages in the activity for which she is promoting.

Another, more obvious opinion leader, is Joe Rogan.While he promotes products like Alpha Brain, a nootropic supplement, he is also popular for his podcast that contemplates unpopular opinions including psychedelic drugs, conspiracy theories surrounding the government, aliens etc., and hunting.He has been widely known by millennials and Gen X from the time he was the host of Fear Factor and now an announcer for the UFC. He's hosted numerous well-known, public figures on his podcast such as Elon Musk and Quentin Tarantino.I believe he is a successful opinion leader, not necessarily for marketing professionals, but for ideas, thoughts and opinions in general, and because he is widely known.

Reference:

Bergstrom, G. (2020) What are Opinion Leaders?: Definitions & Examples of Opinion Leaders.The Balance Small Business.Retrieved fromhttps://www.thebalancesmb.com/who-are-opinion-leaders-and-why-do-they-matter-2295976