Emirati businesswoman Sara Al Madani has slammed marketing agencies for “destroying” the term ‘influencer’ believing it should be about those who work towards “changing people’s lives”.
Sara Al Madani, who boats 224,000 followers on Instagram and over 260,000 on LinkedIn, said that she believes the term ‘influencer’ is a positive thing, but has been cheapened for commercial interests.
Al Madani, a board member of the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Economy’s SME Council and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told local media: “I love the word ‘influencer’, because it means you teach, help and nurture.
“However, I don’t like it anymore because of how people have made the word seem. It sounds like a person who does ads for money.
“Has it been destroyed by people here [Middle East]? Yes, it has. I blame marketing and advertising agencies. They made the name a commercial thing.”
The Emirati businesswoman, who is also referred to as an influencer due to her online following, said that real influencers work towards “changing people’s lives”.
She told Arabian Business magazine: “It’s not about having millions of followers, or looking good on social media, that’s not an influencer.
“Knowledge is for free. We have to pass it on.”
Al Madani, who recently revealed plans to launch a talent management firm later this year, said: “I’ve seen the way that agencies manage talent. They take the influencer, and make them a money machine, but don’t teach them how to manage their finances.
“Agencies kill talent and give them an expiry date.
“They teach them that everything is about money. They become so commercial that their shelf life is too short. If you’re commercial, someone is always going to come along who is better than you.”
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Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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