Key Insights:
- As per the nature of an influencer, it may sound quite contradictory for them to “deinfluence” their audience, although this isn’t as crazy as it sounds: this is a tactic that is increasing their reliability among their followers.
- It’s attractive – and a bit shocking – for TikTok users to hear raw opinions about products, when the tendency on this platform is to normally hear great reviews that increase the hype and necessity for users to buy them.
- The virality of this trend is creating a whole snowball for brands and their products that are being deinfluenced by thousands on TikTok, including big industry names such as Manny Mua, a makeup influencer that currently has over 1.6 million followers on TikTok.
TikTok content creators did it again. The latest viral content on the platform is surprising everyone with something that is atypical from influencers: instead of persuading people to buy certain products, they are technically looking for the opposite. The trend called “deinfluencing” is currently at its peak on TikTok with over 248.6 million views on the hashtag #deinfluencing, and content creators are using it to encourage people not to buy certain products, including big brand names from the skincare, makeup, and personal care industries.
This tactic may seem contradictory to what influencers typically do, but it’s actually a smart move for those who want to strengthen their reliability and trustworthiness with their audience. The honesty factor shows empathy and care for the people watching their videos by delivering a message that is connected with the idea of avoiding the hassle of having to buy and try something that is not worth the hype.
If we are talking about hype, this is commonly the factor that influencers foster to achieve with their paid content in order to commit to the brand’s goal within the scope of promoting their product. A good paid partnership would influence other content creators to purchase this product and try it themselves, which would effectively become a viral product on TikTok, and this has been the case for many brands, including Olapex, Dior, Rare Beauty, Dyson, Charlotte Tilbury and Stanley.
Not long ago, TikTok was full of videos about “TikTok made me buy it,” which was clearly related to those many products going viral overnight, but now we have this “deinfluencing” trend going on in response to an audience that is increasingly critical and conscious when it comes to purchasing. Perhaps this trend is not a surprise, but yet it’s shocking in an era where information is easily accessible, and digital communities and TikTok’s algorithm make it easy to spread the voice over a topic.
It is unclear who started the trend, but as far as we could figure out, one of the most popular videos from this trend is from a content creator called Valeria Fride (@valeriafride), who gives opinions and reviews about makeup, skincare, and others.
@valeriafride Don’t buy everything you see on here 🥹 #deinfluencing #beautytips #sephorahaul ♬ Her Way (Sped Up) – PARTYNEXTDOOR
During her deinfluencing video “beauty edition” she addresses products like the Olapex shampoo and conditioner, Charlotte Tilbury blush, and Dior Blush. People loved it very much, and many ran over her video with comments like “THIS needs to be a whole series… this is by far the most informative thing I’ve seen online today… please continue.” And as the comment of this user, many other content creators understood what people wanted, and they turned this trend into content series. For instance, content creators like Michelle (@michelleskidelsky) has a full series of successful videos on this topic, which has a massive reception of interaction asking for many more products to be addressed, with 14 parts of it thus far.
@michelleskidelsky Replying to @lizvillac I RETURNN 🫡🫡 also please actually listen to what im saying before you comment 🫶 #deinfluencing ♬ original sound – michelle
Big industry names aren’t outsiders to this trend, like the popular Manny Mua (@mannymua733), whose follower count just on TikTok reaches up to 1.6 million followers. He addressed in his video some of his favorite brand’s products that, according to him, are not worth the money or attention for reasons such as poor performance or lack of versatility.
@mannymua733 who’s ready to de influence today 😈 #deinfluencing #makeup #makeupreview #review #beauty #charlottetilbury #tartecosmetics ♬ original sound – MannyMua
The approaches to these trends are many, but we want to make it easy for you to understand what particularly caught our attention:
- Deinfluence to influence for another product: Many of these content creators are using this as a way to tell people, “Instead of spending your money on this product because it has flaws and a high price point or is not worth the cost-benefit, try out this other one.”
- Questioning what is considered normal: This approach is focused on the consciousness behind the purchasing behavior that has been installed as “normal.” In the beauty, skincare, and wellness side of TikTok (to mention a few), several brands and content creators encourage many unnecessary steps within a routine. In contrast, some content creators are trying to deinfluence people on this matter by mentioning that some of those products do not even add up to a benefit.
- Jump on the trend: Since this content is viral right now, and it is based on opinions to create more opinions, it makes it easy to be heard and seen if you’re looking for this objective on TikTok. For this reason, content creators are jumping on the trend with no other objective than to deinfluence.
Moreover, this is an opportunity for brands to rethink their influencer marketing strategies to have a lighter approach to the purchase-persuasion funnel and how they lead their communication strategies through influencers. It’s always desirable to write clear product descriptions and possible speeches, so the influencer can have all the resources to talk about the product, usage occasion, its perks, benefits, and how it directly solves a necessity or engages with the stakeholders’ lifestyle. We also believe this should not be considered or handled as a communicational crisis for the brands just yet. Still, it does prove where marketing is going and how the youngest generations are questioning and looking deeply into everything right now. Key values like transparency, honesty, and loyalty should be at the core of any brand right now to effectively communicate the product’s benefits without misleading their audience. Additionally, brands can consider partnering with influencers who prioritize these values to reach a more critical and conscious audience.
