Snapchat and MAGNA Media Trials have released a research report titled 'Unleashing Influence: A Marketer's Guide to Influencer Success', exploring user perceptions and preferences of influencer content across five countries: Australia, France, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The global influencer market is projected to approach $6 billion in media spend by 2024, indicating its growing significance in the marketing landscape.

The study found that honesty was the top trait (67%) that brands could seek from influencers to drive engagement in brand-sponsored content, followed by creativity (47%) and charisma (38%). Transparency about sponsorship increased the likelihood of brand engagement by 63%.

In Australia, clear identification of brand-sponsored content was ranked as very to somewhat important by 92% of research participants. Australian social media users are increasingly engaging with product-related content on social platforms, making the influencer market attractive for brands.

Hannah Rook, Head of Intelligence and Insights at Magna Australia, commented, "Australian social media users are increasingly drawn to and engaging with product related content, whether it be tutorials or product reviews, when consuming content on social platforms. This makes the influencer market a very attractive proposition for brands, however, rules of influencer engagement are important to ensure brands align themselves with positive user experiences. This research explored influencer qualities that are preferred by Australians to help establish a set of criteria brands should seek when selecting influencers to work alongside".

She added, "Overall, this natural alignment made the content and influencer come across as trustworthy and authentic, which led to positive outcomes for the brand including +51% interest in researching the brand and +49% product purchase intent."

Australians were highly receptive to brand-sponsored influencer content, with an average of 88% receptiveness across Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X participants. 61% of Australians agreed they were primarily on social media to follow influencers.

Tony Keusgen, Managing Director of Snap Australia and New Zealand, highlighted the unique position of Snapchat in the influencer landscape. "Snapchat has always been different to traditional social media - it's where 8 million Australians come to express themselves authentically and connect with people they care about. For creators, Snapchat allows them to build real relationships with our community by showing a unique and more behind-the-scenes look at their lives. The power of genuine connections creates a positive environment for advertisers on Snapchat".