Brian Morrissey, who writes, tweets and blogs on advertising, related an episode in which he was sent a bag of Popchips. Apparently the algorithms, CPG marketers and Klout reckoned that Morrissey was a snack food influencer. His article (excerpt below) is a good read on the tricky are of tracking influence.
Sometime last year — I don’t remember when exactly — a box arrived at my apartment. Inside was a handful of bags of Popchips. I ate them, then didn’t think much about them again.By doing so I became part of an “influencer” program. I got the chips apparently on account of the sway I hold when it comes to snack food as part of the Klout Perks program. Like many regular Twitter users, I’d used Klout to gauge my social media reach on Twitter. I’m apparently a 61. The question that nagged me was why exactly was I an influencer when it came to snacks?
