opinion leader

Opinion leaders are opinion makers. Opinion leaders are people who, due to their knowledge or influence, are able to play a leading role in opinion formation, similar to influencers.

Such opinion leaders are very interesting for companies in order to interest potential customers or Internet users in their products and generate willingness to buy. Based on the so-called opinion leader model, companies buy or sponsor certain opinion leaders who are then expected to market their products in an obvious or subtle way.

Sporting goods manufacturers such as Adidas, Nike or Puma use this model to tie well-known personalities to themselves and thus achieve a higher presence for their products. On the Internet, certain bloggers who are highly relevant and thus considered opinion leaders in their communities are tied to companies. This can take the form of financial incentives or exclusive access to certain information or events.