For years, influencer marketing occupied an awkward position in many marketing plans: it was an attractive way to build brand awareness, but much harder to justify when it came to demonstrating tangible results.

This summer, we've been quite entertained by all the influencer nonsense. And we're not talking about the hundreds of self-proclaimed influencers determined to show us what an amazing summer they're having, tell us how we should run our businesses, remind us how tough their lives are or demonstrate just how extraordinary they are for simply getting by.