Discuss: What can we learn from Kylie Jenner’s Snapchat tweet?

Photo credit: Tim Savage

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Just a little over two weeks ago, Snap’s stock price fell by 6 percent, reducing its market value by US$1.3 billion. The cause? The reality star Kylie Jenner, who tweeted on February 22 that she doesn’t use the app as much anymore—possibly because of the app’s controversial redesign that separates content from friends and brands.

While some have disputed this, saying it wasn’t about Jenner at all, some have begun calling it the “Kylie Jenner curse.” But what this drives home more than anything else is the increasing power of social media influencers.

We asked three social media experts on their thoughts.

Editor’s note: Answers have been edited for clarity.

Phi Nguyen, Founder of Hiip

Last month’s Kylie Jenner incident evidently describes the rise of social media influencers, which impact beyond branding, marketing, or sales.

There are two kinds of businesses that you may be in that will benefit/be affected by influencers:

1. You are a platform/network/marketplace, and social influencers are part of your network.
2. You are a consumer company, and they are the ones who influence your target audience.

In Snap’s case, it is very obvious that Jenner is an important component of its network. This case is more difficult for businesses. When influencers leave, they will leave together with their fans (your users) who are the core of the business. I believe now is the time that any network must put influencers at the core of their growth strategy.

For consumer companies, I recently had a quick conversation with Ricky Setiawan, CEO of Duniaku network, who told me that social influencers in Indonesia has risen in importance. Engaging them used to be the purview of a company’s social media or digital head, but now it is the responsibility of a marketing/business unit head.

Let’s discuss