Influencers and the Two-step Flow Theory

The best way to learn about this audience effects theory is to apply the framework to a variety of media texts.

Introduction

In marketing, an influencer is employed by brands to promote a product or service because of their ability to influence consumer opinions and behaviours. They will have a strong reputation among their social media followers and will probably be an expert on a specific topic.

If you have read our guide to the two-step flow theory of communication, you will know this definition of an influencer is quite similar to opinion leaders who can shape the thoughts and values of people they know, such as their friends and family.

Perhaps the key concepts of the audience effects theory can help explain why brands continue to collaborate with celebrities and the success of these sorts of campaigns.

Taylor Swift and Diet Coke

Marketing agencies employ musicians, actors, celebrities and influencers to promote products and services because these opinion leaders can help determine our attitudes towards the brand. Taylor Swift is an incredibly popular singer-songwriter who continues to receive widespread media coverage. With her lyrics and blend of musical styles, she has won the top industry accolades from around the world, including a multitude of Grammy Awards and an Emmy in America. She is a trusted expert.

However, she has also endorsed perfume, partnered with a credit card company, promoted ice-cream, put her name on the side of an airplane and her face on delivery trucks, sold greetings cards, and advertised lots of other products.

The Coca-Cola Company and its brands dominate the market for soft drinks. Their products are sold in over 200 countries worldwide, but they want to maintain their market share and revenue by appealing to the next generation of consumers. Signing Taylor Swift to be their brand ambassador in 2013, a deal reportedly worth $26m, the company hoped to connect with her young fan base.

The following print advertisement is a good example of the two-step flow model of communication in action.

The two-step flow theory suggests the mainstream media’s impact on the audience is limited because it targets the public rather than the individual consumer. However, the model also argues that opinion leaders can shape the discussion and influence the behaviour of opinion followers who are part of their social network.

In this example, Coca-Cola is the institution using print media to promote its product. In a press statement released by the company, Katie Bayne said Taylor Swift was an “extraordinary individual and a wonderful symbol of achievement” who is “the ideal partner to represent our brand”. The marketing team are mediating their brand and message through an opinion leader and relying on her stardom to help persuade the audience to buy bottles of Diet Coke.

Semiotic Analysis

It is important to explore the representation of the celebrity because it will help explain how she connects with her opinion followers. Look at her white blouse, especially the way the sleeves are rolled up and it is knotted at the waist. Instead of looking ready to perform on the stage, her dress codes suggest she is working hard to create music.

Of course, the white blouse and black hot pants connect with the Diet Coke branding. Her guitar and heart-shaped straw are red because the colour is associated with the drink. Even her red lipstick and black eyelashes reinforce the branding. You could also argue the grey-textured background connects with the product.

For the two-step flow of communication to work, an opinion leader must belong to the social network. The casual clothing, loose hair and relaxed body language are relatable to the target audience, and the lack of shoes and socks could signify an appealing sense of nature and freedom.

The advertisement positions the audience to believe they can replicate the Taylor Swift’s success in their own lives if they drink Diet Coke.

For more detailed analysis of the singer’s appeal to the audience, read our guide to Taylor Swift’s social media presence. It has an in-depth study of her social media output and how it helps construct her public identity.

Moving Image Commercial

It’s also worth apply media effects theory to the commercial and critically assess the impact the advertising industry can have on the audience.

Ed Sheeran and Ketchup

Ed Sheeran first topped the UK music charts in 2011 and quickly went on to achieve global success. His third album ÷ was the biggest selling record worldwide in 2017. He has won four Grammy Awards and five Brit Awards. This popularity with the audience and critical recognition from the music industry makes him one of the best-known artists in the media.

His brand is clearly defined and instantly relatable to his fan base – casual t-shirts, tattoos and sense of humour. Trust is an important characteristic of opinion leaders.

Heinz is a major food-processing company whose Ketchup brand dominates the market. Importantly, they want to secure their impressive revenue by appealing to another generation of consumers. Ed Sheeran’s connection to this target demographic makes him the perfect partner to help promote the product. Interestingly, Ed Sheeran already had a tattoo of the ketchup bottle on his arm because of his enduring love for the condiment. The affiliation was inevitable.

Although Paul Lazarsfeld’s two-step flow theory of communication was developed from his research into the political campaigns of the 1940s, the approach to understanding the limitations of the mass media’s ability to directly impact the mainstream audience remains relevant no matter what value or ideology is being promoted. In this example, Heinz want to increase awareness of their Tomato Ketchup brand. It may not be a manifesto of job creation and low taxation, but there is the same desire to influence the behaviour of the public.

The two-step flow theory suggests companies can still use the broadcast media, such as social media platforms, to deliver their message to the mass audience. Ed Sheeran is the opinion leader and are his fan base the opinion followers.

The way he is kissing the bottle of ketchup communicates the musician’s genuine love for the product and the image is strange enough to grab the audience’s attention. If Ed Sheeran loves ketchup, you will too.

Zoella

While working as an apprentice at an interior design company in 2009, Zoe Sugg created her blog, Zoella, where she wrote about fashion and beauty. In 2013, The Telegraph described her as one of “Britain’s most influential Tweeters”. By 2014, her website had received over 140 million visits.

With 200,000 followers on Twitter and 1.1m followers on Instagram in 2021, Zoella remains a popular brand and personality with the audience.

The following screenshot was taken from the style section of her blog. It is important to note that her posts contain ad-affiliate links. In other words, she gets paid to advertise some of the products and to collaborate with brands.

In this example, the institutions behind the products are fashion companies. Obviously, the medium is Zoella’s own website. As an influencer. she is communicating the benefits of their boots.

According to the researchers who developed the audience effects theory, an opinion leader is trustworthy and has a supportive social network. Zoella is the opinion leader who has sorted through the autumn catalogues and decided which dresses, jumpers and footwear are this season’s “must haves”. She is the curator of this fashion world, and her followers will trust the advice on the “latest picks” on what to wear.

It is important to connect the theory to the actual text and analyse some of the dominant signifiers used to construct the message. For example, how do the website codes and conventions, such as the header and featured image, communicate a sense of style and luxury? How does the use of language in the headline and kicker anchor our interpretation of the images? What other signs help deliver the preferred reading and position the audience to want to buy new “chunky” boots.

Final Thoughts

The two-step flow theory describes a linear process with information flowing from the institutions through opinion leaders to the target audience in their social networks. The model of communication suggests influencers can shape our opinions and behaviours.

Are we that easily brainwashed? Does Taylor Swift help shift more bottles of Diet Coke? Does Ed Sheeran inspire more consumers to use tomato ketchup? Brands must think opinion followers can be influenced by the trusted opinion leaders in the social network because they are spending billions every year on this type of marketing.