The influencer industry has developed more and more in Romania in recent years, becoming a benchmark for every brand or company in digital marketing.
In the latest study by research agency iSense Solutions, “iSense Influencer Effect“, we asked young people (18 – 40 years old) about the influencers they know. We asked them to spontaneously mention the names that first come to mind when they think of influencers, then, from a predefined list, they chose everyone they know, at least by name.
When asked spontaneously which influencers they know, young people mentioned Selly in first place, with a total of 21% (a significantly higher percentage among 18-25 year olds (33%)) and Dorian Popa (21%), followed by Alina Ceușan (12%), Carmen Grebenișan (7%) and Adelina Pestrițu (3%).
“The top spontaneous mentions reflect young people’s recognition and preferences for influencers in Romania. Through the “iSense Influencer Effect” study we have identified how well influencers are connected with their audience and how they are perceived by the younger generation “says Andrei Canda, Managing Partner iSense Solutions.
The ranking of influencers’ assisted notoriety shows some differences compared to spontaneous notoriety: Smiley (85%) is in first place, followed by Dorian Popa (76%), Selly (73%), Andra Măruță (73%) and Mircea Bravo (72%).
We observe that in the perception of young people, spontaneously, artists are not categorized as influencers, even if some artists’ names have a very high notoriety.
The role of influencers in short-form video platforms
Short-form video platforms have democratized content creation, allowing anyone to become a viral content creator, especially influencers.
They use short video formats to create varied and engaging content that can attract and hold the attention of their communities.
Whether it’s promoting a product, interacting with fans or sharing moments in their lives, short videos offer an effective and flexible way to communicate powerful messages in a very short time. This versatility makes short video formats an essential tool in any influencer’s content strategy.
In 2024 the incidence of use of these formats is high: Facebook Reels 80%, Instagram Reels 66%, YouTube Shorts 69% and TikTok 50%.
Asked how many times a day they access short video format platforms, young people said that on TikTok they log in around 3.9 times/day and spend around 66 minutes a day, on Facebook Reels they log in on average 3.5 times/day and spend around 53 minutes, on Instagram Reels on average 3.4 times/day and spend around 50 minutes, while on YouTube Shorts they log in around 2.7 times/day and spend around 42 minutes.
The reasons why they prefer Instagram Reels and TikTok are: to find relevant content (68% for Instagram Reels and 55% for TikTok), quality of content (53% for Instagram Reels and 38% for TikTok), accessibility in the app (51% Instagram Reels and 65% TikTok), content posted by influencers they follow (48% Instagram Reels and 36% TikTok), the algorithm understands their preferences (48% Instagram Reels and 49% TikTok), content posted by the brands they follow (41% Instagram Reels and 20% TikTok), access to videos available on other platforms (34% Instagram Reels and 32% TikTok), content can be shared very easily with friends (33% for Instagram Reels and 48% TikTok).
The data is part of theiSense Influencer Effect 2024study and is representative of the urban population aged 18-40. The information was collected in April 2024 on a sample of 400 respondents from the online Sense Panels panel owned by iSense Solutions.
About iSense Solutions
iSense Solutions – The Modern Consumer Company – uses the most innovative methods to explore and analyze the modern consumer. Founded in 2014, the company offers comprehensive market research services and brings a mix of innovation and efficiency to clients.
More information can be found at www.isensesolutions.ro, www.researchromania.ro, www.sensepanels.com and www.sensecommunities.com.