Nearly three quarters of Irish people do not trust ads on social networks according to new research carried out by iReach.
The research – which covered a nationally representative survey of 1,001 people – also found that 63% are sceptical about recommendations from influencers while 63% indicated that it isn’t always clear when an influencer has been paid to promote a product. One in five people (20%) have made a purchase after seeing a brand that an influencer has posted about on social media, according to the research.
The last number of months have seen increased scrutiny placed on how social media influencers promote and advertise products to their base of followers while social media platforms have also come under the spotlight with growing levels of distrust amongst Irish consumers evident in other surveys.
The research also shows that the most trusted form of product endorsement by far are recommendations from friends and family on 89%.
When asked how they would define a social influencer, the top answer from respondents is somebody who helps promote brands, products and services (43%). Other popular definitions included someone who has 50,000 or more followers online (26%) and someone who shares information about products they love (26%). Additionally, for 33% of respondents, influencers differ from average social media users in their online behaviour as they use more ads and promotional content when they post.
