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The Importance of Authenticity With Micro-Influencer Marketing and Gen Z Audiences

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The Importance of Authenticity With Micro-Influencer Marketing and Gen Z Audiences

 

‘Fake it till you make it’ is a popular phrase in the modern self-improvement culture, but one area this definitely no longer applies is marketing.

For years, brands have thrown advertising money into the furnace of celebrity endorsements. Having a big-name celebrity attached to your brand used to be a sure-fire of gaining attention, but as Gen Z emerges as a major commercial force, this is quickly losing power.

Gen Z is a demographic that has grown up in and around digital marketing and the internet. More than generations that come before it, it understands how the world of advertising works, and it is demanding change.

The idea that a celebrity is using the same products as your everyday person no longer sells. We have more access than ever before to the lives of celebrities and athletes, and we can clearly see our favourite NFL player is not wearing that watch he promised he never took off in the adverts.

There is a demand for authenticity and for a belief that a person selling you a product is, first and foremost, upfront about the fact they are selling it and, secondly, providing a genuine endorsement of a product they use themselves.

This is where micro-influencers can step in. Micro-influencers have huge followers of people who really believe in their brand. Their interests are more niche and much more accessible than celebrities or major influencers.

As such, it is essential that a brand’s values align with that of a micro-influencer. Brands should be looking for micro-influencers that share their beliefs and that have products that will align with their audience instead of just seeking out the ones with the biggest followings. A campaign for a product that is of direct interest to micro-influencers with 25,000 followers will prove to be much more profitable than randomly assigning a product to someone with 200,000 followers with no real connection to it.

Essentially, it is becoming increasingly impossible to fake in-depth knowledge or endorsement of a product. The community aspects of sports and other sectors now mean audiences are quicker than ever to spot something disingenuous and call it out. Micro-influencers, whose success relies on that strong relationship with their communities, are not going to put themselves at risk by endorsing something that does not align with their own values and beliefs.

This authenticity also applies to presentation. We’ve all had that experience where we’re listening to a major podcast, and then, out of the blue, they just start promoting a product totally unrelated to what we are listening to. All this results in is people repeatedly hitting the skip 15 seconds button on their apps until the ad is gone.

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Micro-influencers understand their communities, and they understand the products that are going to interest them. They also know how to package these products to them and how to make them appeal without ever appearing pushy or like they are over-selling.

This genuine connection between a product and its intended audience is something people would pay millions for in the past. Micro-influencers have made this affordable, ensuring an excellent ROI for companies on their advertising campaigns.

It has also proven an excellent way of levelling the playing field for small and mid-level businesses. Companies no longer need to have huge advertising budgets to reach their audiences. Gen Z is also supportive of smaller business, especially those that align with their social and political values, and micro-influencers and authentic marketing provides a way for them to connect.

One thing that is clear is that marketing is changing, and Gen Z audiences are going to continue to look for the most authentic endorsements they can find. Working with micro-influencers now allows companies to get ahead of that trend and reap all of its benefits.

 

By: Troy Paul, Co-Founder and CEO of SGG Media

Industry News

IBN Initiates Coverage of SEGG Media Corporation

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SEGG Media Corporation, a leading technology company transforming the global intersection of sports, entertainment, and gaming, has selected IBN, a multifaceted financial news and publishing company serving private and public entities, to spearhead its corporate communications efforts.

SEGG Media aims to deliver immersive, real-time experiences through next-generation technology that redefines how audiences interact with their favorite content and communities. Following a full-scale corporate transformation and rebrand, the company now operates across three high-growth verticals: Sports.com, Entertainment, and Lottery.com.

Sports.com serves as a global hub for sports content with a focus on soccer, sim racing, motorsports, and athlete-led media, with the upcoming Sports.com Super App poised to evolve fan engagement by integrating streaming, e-commerce, fantasy gaming, and sports news. The Entertainment division builds on AI-powered live events and direct-to-fan platforms, while Lottery.com delivers compliant, ethical gaming solutions including iGaming and charitable lottery access to global audiences.

With a $100 million financing facility and strategic acquisitions underway, including proposed deals with GXR World and DotCom Ventures, SEGG Media is executing a multi-vertical expansion strategy designed to unify fragmented fan experiences across live content, gaming, and digital commerce.

As part of the client-partner relationship, IBN will leverage its investor-focused distribution network, which includes over 5000 key syndication outlets, various newsletters, social media channels, and wire services via InvestorWire, along with blogs and other outreach tools, to generate greater awareness for SEGG Media.

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Polymarket Acquires CFTC-Licensed Exchange and Clearinghouse QCEX for $112 Million

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Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction market, announced that it has closed an acquisition of the holding company of a Commodity Futures Trading Commission-licensed derivatives exchange (QCX LLC) and clearinghouse (QC Clearing LLC) (collectively QCEX) for $112 million. The transaction marks a significant step toward expanding access to Polymarket’s category-defining platform in the US, enabling more users than ever to trade prediction market contracts with regulatory clarity and confidence.

“Polymarket is the largest prediction market globally and has become synonymous with understanding the probability of current events. Demand is greater than ever — not just in user growth and trading volume, but in how mainstream audiences are turning to Polymarket to separate signal from noise, bias, and speculation. Now, with the acquisition of QCEX, we are laying the foundation to bring Polymarket home — re-entering the US as a fully regulated and compliant platform that will allow Americans to trade their opinions,” said Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket.

“When we began the process to obtain our DCM & DCO licenses over 4 years ago, the prediction market was in its infancy. But we have long believed in its potential to change the way people access and understand information and express their views on that information. Shayne has built a cultural phenomenon in Polymarket. I am excited to bring our companies together and leverage our licenses, technology, and expertise in the retail trading sector to help Polymarket reach its full potential,” said Sergei Dobrovolskii, Founder of QCEX.

Polymarket has continued to build significant momentum as the world’s largest prediction market and a trusted source of real-time information. In the first half of 2025 alone, users have already made about $6 billion in predictions on the platform. Most recently, Polymarket announced an official partnership with 𝕏, further solidifying its position at the intersection of politics, markets, and culture.

The acquisition of the QCEX entities paves the way for U.S. users to access Polymarket in the near future within a fully regulated, US-compliant framework. As prediction markets continue to gain mainstream relevance, Polymarket remains the go-to platform for understanding what the world is thinking — and where it’s headed.

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Full House Resorts Announces Promotion of Lewis Fanger to President

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Full House Resorts Inc. announced that it has promoted Lewis Fanger to President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer, effective July 11, 2025. The title of President was previously held by Daniel Lee, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. As previously disclosed, Mr. Lee extended his employment agreement as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer in June 2025.

“Since our arrival approximately ten years ago. Full House Resorts has undergone a significant transformation, from a small regional casino operator to one of the fastest-growing companies in our industry. Lewis’s financial leadership has helped enable that growth, allowing us to improve our existing assets and expand the Company through new developments such as American Place and Chamonix. Lewis has been an invaluable part of our team over the past decade, and his promotion to President will help ensure a continuity of leadership,” Mr. Lee said.

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