* Top 150 Game of influence: how new-wave political influencers became 'lightning rods' of debate -- -- January 20, 2020 by John Harrington The evolution of social media has given rise to influencers who have a clear impact on the way their followers, and the broader social audience, think about politics - despite not coming from a traditional political background. -- -- doing so surged 236 per cent. Correlation is not causation, of course; but few would deny the impact of the vocal Labour supporter, who has 1.3m Twitter followers, in galvanising swathes of the public. Indeed, one might argue that it is -- -- of the vocal Labour supporter, who has 1.3m Twitter followers, in galvanising swathes of the public. Indeed, one might argue that it is evidence of the impact of a new wave of social- media-savvy influencers on UK politics. -- -- on UK politics. 'Avoid parallel conversations': Femi's path to political influence (and comms tips) -- -- comms tips) ‘Influencer’ is a notoriously tricky term. Stormzy (below), like many other people sometimes categorised under this label, rose to fame through his ‘day job’ and remains predominantly outside the -- -- other people sometimes categorised under this label, rose to fame through his ‘day job’ and remains predominantly outside the ‘Westminster bubble’. Other influencers are more strongly linked to political movements. -- -- What they have in common is that they fall outside the definition of ‘traditional’ political influencers: politicians, lobbyists or full-time journalists working for established media titles. -- -- "Twitter and sites such as Instagram have opened the door to a new generation of political influencers – and they’re having more impact than ever," says Steve Hawkes, head of strategic media at Burson Cohn & -- than ever," says Steve Hawkes, head of strategic media at Burson Cohn & Wolfe – himself a former ‘traditional’ influencer, having been deputy political editor of The Sun before joining BCW in October. -- -- Alice Klein, assistant director of comms at Shelter, spells out the role influencers play for the homelessness charity. "The new wave is really important to us because they have big spheres of influence, often comprised of followers who are particularly engaged and active," she says. -- -- "These are precisely the groups we want to encourage to support our campaigns, which press for changes to policy that will help end homeless- ness. For example, can an influencer retweet a story about Shelter’s work which signposts their followers to take one of our actions, such as signing a petition or contacting their local MP about -- -- unique methods to acquire supporters – such as community organisers in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol – we will always need social-media platforms and [their] most popular influencers to share our reactive campaigns widely and quickly." -- -- For WA Communications MD Dominic Church, the "massive" rise in non-traditional influencers is "part and parcel of the decline in trust in politicians and, in part, in journalists". -- -- "They come without baggage of being an established politician or journalist and perhaps can generate more trust than traditional influencers. "They can be lightning rods for debate and people agree or disagree -- -- It’s a complex question. Isabella Gornall, managing director of Seahorse Environmental Communications, makes a distinction between the ‘political insider’ influencers – former special advisers, party activists or well-connected journalists, for example – and those famous outside politics who are outspoken on social media. -- -- "They’re still speaking to people in that bubble," says Gornall. "I think a lot of people want insight [from political influencers] as well. -- -- that’s what separates them out a bit." She agrees that ‘political insider’ influencers can have more of an impact advancing certain opinions, whereas ‘celebrity’ influencers typically use their vast reach to popularise these views. -- -- "When you have a fashion journalist speaking about politics, the influence they have on a young audience who may not be political is quite big," says Gornall. -- -- by putting a spotlight on lies and hypocrisy – is a good example. Asked what makes a good political influencer, Hawkes pinpoints three factors: "Clear messaging, a unique selling point and a following." -- -- He also makes a nuanced point about the ‘political insider’. "Critically, the influencer... has to be accurate and appear to be connected [to] – but not in the pay of – the party they’re supporting. Just as people are cynical about a newspaper’s hidden agenda, you are -- -- connected [to] – but not in the pay of – the party they’re supporting. Just as people are cynical about a newspaper’s hidden agenda, you are seeing people question an ‘influencer’s’ credibility. [Greta_Thunberg_1_GettyImages.jpg] -- -- GK Strategy director Emma Petela says that the most successful new-wave influencers will typically "have a very clear position and voice, and aren't afraid to make unedited or uncompromising statements". -- -- a time when society is more critical of the veracity of statements made by politicians, and even academic experts at times, social-media influencers are often looked at to provide scrutiny." She cites Ash Sarkar. The journalist, academic and activist received -- -- [Screenshot-2020-01-20-at-09.11.01.png] There is an important caveat with this kind of influencer, however. "They are naturally biased," says Petela. "And it is easy for people -- -- "They are naturally biased," says Petela. "And it is easy for people who have different views to simply unfollow, meaning that their impact on people who aren’t already sympathetic to their views could be limited." -- -- Arguably this was seen in last month’s general election, when for all their noise on social media, Labour-supporting or anti-Brexit influencers failed to stop a Conservative victory. Whether this shows the limits of ‘new wave’ influencers or of the Labour party’s campaign is up for debate; but, of course, plenty of influencers exist on the right of the political spectrum too. -- -- right of the political spectrum too. For Church, influence is greater among those regarded as a specialist in their field. "The influencers that are more targeted in the topic or topics they cover tend to have more impact than generalist commentators," he says. -- -- well-versed in his specialist topic and a good communicator. Talking of experts, Philip Trippenbach, UK head of influencer at Edelman, stresses the role of bona fide authority figures in influencing political decisions. -- -- examples of successful electric- vehicle charger subsidy programmes. You’d do research and find individuals who have written about that – well, those people are influencers." -- Fame vs influence One public-affairs professional told PRWeek they would seek to -- -- One public-affairs professional told PRWeek they would seek to influence special advisers indirectly by influencing the people they follow on Twitter. -- -- This seems a far cry from the high-profile social-media stars who are often associated with ‘the i-word’, but it points to the complexity of who has real influence in modern politics. -- Trippenbach also alludes to a truism about influencers generally: it’s not just about reach. -- -- not just about reach. "There are no online influencers and offline influencers, there are just influencers," he argues. "There are people who are influential and people who are influential in various channels, [but the number of followers] you’ve got is only one of the factors that could make you -- -- influential. Influencer marketing: investment plans to 'seismic' scams... brands and agencies reveal priorities -- -- "The fact lots of people are listening to me does not necessarily make me influential; that’s fame, not influence. Kylie Jenner can say almost whatever she wants about British politics, in a sense, and her relevance is really low because she’s American and what does she know -- -- foreign policy might not be one of them." Hawkes is similarly cautious about the overall impact impact social-media stars have on politics in the UK. "It’s still far too early to see the effect they are having beyond the ‘bubble’ and on -- -- on the hard left of British politics." And working with the new influencers can create its own challenges. "My impression is that PR and public affairs professionals are probably -- -- "My impression is that PR and public affairs professionals are probably a bit more wary of working with non-traditional influencers at the moment," says Church. "If you work with a journalist you can feel pretty confident [they're] going to take information or a briefing off -- -- pretty confident [they're] going to take information or a briefing off the record, if that's agreed in advance. But there's a question mark over whether a non-traditional influencer would do that... they're not subject to the same rules and structure as a traditional journalist." -- -- tens of thousands of followers who put out messages that resonate with people on one side of a political argument, but where we don’t know who is behind that account. The most impactful and credible social-media influencers are still those [with] a broader media presence or are mainstream journalists – Owen Jones, Mark Wallace, Tim Shipman, Ash Sakar, etc." -- -- Complex challenge Back to Stormzy. Given his impact on voter registration, how has the Electoral Commission (EC) been working with influencers to this end? -- "We haven’t worked with any influencers," is the surprising reply from EC comms officer Billy Proudlock. Instead, it has focused on organisations and media that target demographic groups -- -- "It can be complicated [for an organisation like the EC] working with influencers," says Proudlock. "You have to be sure that they’ve not made any political comments in the past. -- -- made any political comments in the past. "We are an independent, impartial body, so it may be that an influencer has said something at some point that was political, or may go on to say something political, which would not be good for our campaign and -- -- vote, not just people of one political persuasion or another." For public affairs and comms pros, the new influencers represent a challenge as much as an opportunity. -- -- * United Kingdom * Government * Influencers * Lobbying & public affairs * Metered content -- -- * Femi * Owen Jones * Political influencers * Mark Wallace Conservative Home * Greta Thunberg -- -- John Harrington recommends 'Avoid parallel conversations': Femi's path to political influence (and comms tips) -- -- More... * Why brands should look at influencers as collaborators, not spokespeople -- spokespeople * Analysis: Influencer engagement rates have plummeted – but there's 'no need to panic' * Mark Zuckerberg offers suggestion for how to regulate Facebook -- -- * Top of the Month: Lewis Pugh makes media splash with world-first Antarctic swim * Creator and influencer council launches in Philippines More on this Topic