These fakes aside, influencers are most valuable to brands because they come with a halo of authenticity, even when they’re being paid to promote something. No one thinks George Clooney actually drinks Nespresso. But perhaps this person making money on Instagram, who seems just like you, is as big a fan of some Scandi watch brand as their photos suggest.

As Stokel-Walker puts it, what separates an ‘influencer’ from just someone with lots of followers is a “personal connection”. Because you get a view into their (supposedly) real life, you feel closer to an influencer than you do a traditional celebrity. “It seems like influencers are your friends. And you’re more likely to buy products on the recommendations of your friends.”

All of which means that, in 2019, you can expect influencers to become even more prevalent. Especially since brands are giving less of their cash to the big names, instead choosing to spread it among multiple micro-influencers (those with followers in the tens of thousands, rather than the millions). “Some can sell more product than a major star,” says Odell, singling out Arielle Charnas, who leveraged her Something Navy blog into a best-selling collection with Nordstrom. “She’s not Beyoncé, but she really sells product.”

Squaring the circle is the rise of analytics platforms. They take the murky world of follower counts, which were often juiced with fake profiles, and turn it into easily digestible data on which influencers have the most engaged audiences, so that brands can quickly figure out where their money is best spent. That confidence encourages brands to invest more cash, which means more money to support an even bigger pool of influencers.

“As the number of people blocking ads continues to increase, brands need a direct line to their target consumer,” says Hennessy. “Influencers are a way to reach someone who might genuinely be interested in purchasing a brand’s product or service in a way that resonates with them and doesn’t scream ‘advertisement’.”