As a nation of animal lovers our four-legged friends are increasingly popular on social media, with some becoming influencers with millions of followers.

It’s even spawned a new word of ‘petfluencer’ to describe a domestic animal who appears regularly in pictures or video posted by its owner.  

A new study, however, suggests that petfluencers may have a surprising edge over their human counterparts when it comes to trustworthiness.

Consumer responses

The research paper, published in The Journal of Advertising Research, considers how animals’ endorsements of brands, such as those from petfluencers where ­animals ‘personally’ advocate for brands, can affect consumer responses.

Researchers studied why pet influencers are successful by comparing them to human endorsers in fictional adverts for products like wine and peanut butter. When the adverts were tested with an audience the results were clear: the pet influencer outperformed the human influencer in terms of consumer response. Their effectiveness was even higher when their message matched a consumer’s focus on immediate pleasure and satisfaction.

The study also outlines that as the number of sponsored posts by social media influencers (SMIs) rises, their perceived sincerity is on the decline, partly due to ‘influencer fatigue’, which is why petfluencers represent a viable alternative for more sincere endorsements.

Promote brands

Advertising agencies are turning to animal influencers to promote brands, and in the UK alone, owners spend an estimated £8 billion a year on their pet, and they can often rival the earning potential of their human counterparts.

Lead researcher Dr Laura Lavertu, a lecturer in Marketing at the University of Strathclyde, whose research focuses on the impact of digital technologies, including social media, and virtual reality, on consumer-brand interactions, said:

Petfluencers offer distinct advantages compared to human SMIs. While the persuasiveness of human influencers often stems from their relatability or aspirational appeal, petfluencers are seen as more genuine and sincere. Because they are pets, they have no hidden agenda. They don’t come with the baggage or scandals that sometimes follow human influencers, which makes them seem more trustworthy.

While petfluencer profiles may appear to be managed by the pets themselves, most are transparently run by the pet owners. Similar to human influencers, petfluencers often collaborate with advertising agencies to handle brand partnerships, but they maintain control over the content they post.

Some have become household names and sought-after brand ambassadors. Nala the Cat has 4.5 million Instagram followers and endorses a range of products – from cat food to mobile games – and has amassed a fortune estimated at more than £80 million.

The research team suggests that future studies could further validate these findings, exploring the growing influence of our beloved pets in the world of social media.

The study was made possible through a collaboration with the University of Louisville and the University of Edinburgh.