The power of ‘social talent’ laid bare after vlogger mobbed

In perhaps an extreme example of why brands are being urged to work with ‘social talent’, beauty vlogger Tanya Burr was mobbed in Covent Garden on Wednesday after sending a tweet asking if any followers of her YouTube channel wanted to come and say hello.

Things grew dangerous, however, when thousands of unexpected and screaming fans overwhelmed the internet star outside Covent Garden’s Apple store, ultimately resulting in its closure.

Fans were in a frenzy as they struggled to get to the popular video blogger – who posts videos on YouTube with beauty tips to almost 900,000 subscribers – desperately trying to hand over letters and take photos.

“Getting emotional reading your letters…I never expected today to turn out the way it did. Hope you’re all safe now and I love you so much!”, tweeted Burr.

Often described as the ‘One Direction of YouTube’, vloggers have taken the online world by storm, and some of the most popular can reach up to 500,000 video views in just a few days.

Dominic Smales of Gleam Digital manages a variety of social talent and advises brands and advertisers to help them take advantage of this new social medium.

“Social Talent and YouTube fame has definitely reached a critical mass,” said Smales on Thursday. “What previous generations perceive as fame is now becoming a bit obsolete for generation Y. While they might not be as well known to the man on the street, to their huge and massively engaged audience they are a big influence.

“A call to action from these guys on their platforms can be a very powerful tool when used correctly. Forward looking brands have an opportunity to harness this power by working with social talent in a credible, integrated way.”

Currently, the average banner click-through rate stands at just 0.1%. However, last year a popular vlogger – known to her one million plus subscribers as Zoella – offered viewers the chance to win a £500 Topshop gift voucher if they clicked on the ad below her video, leading to a 40% click-through rate for the fashion brand.