Should we pay for the media we consume?

fattymuatty

I've seen a lot of people both here and across social media saying things like when bloggers/influencers promote a brand it turns them off the brand. People complaining that bloggers are like walking ads, complaining about their use of affiliate links, saying that once they promote a brand they lose all credibility in their eyes, you get the idea.

Lot's of bloggers/influencers whatever you want to call them take a lot of time to style photos, that could include buying props, they take time to do demos, write blogs posts, answer questions etc.
Do you think that bloggers should only do this if they are willing to work for free or sometimes at a loss when you factor in buying products, props, photography equipment etc?

If a blogger is using all the correct #s and being transparent about their paid posts/links/things they have been gifted is it still an issue for you? Or is it the fact that you feel that bloggers are trying to pull the wool over your eyes as such and not being transparent that turns you off them? Would you prefer to pay them directly via a patreon account and have their feeds completely ad and gift free?

Personally I don't have a problem with creators doing sponsored posts or #ads or using affiliate links. I appreciate the time that goes into creating content and when for the most part I enjoy that content it I don't mind them being paid for putting it out there. Much the same way I don't think actors for example should be expected to work for free when they produce tv shows or movies that I enjoy watching. I'm interested in others opinion on this.

GavMan

I think the issue is mainly not that they get paid for the work/review/exposure, its that there doesn't seem to be actually working being done by alot of these influencers. They never seem to post bad reviews about any product they get. Everything is wonderful and brilliant and game changing when in reality, not everything is or can be.

A lot are basically taking the bag of cash and not being genuine. There's no credibility in what they are saying in most cases. So that is when Joe public turns off them

fattymuatty

GavMan wrote: »

I think the issue is mainly not that they get paid for the work/review/exposure, its that there doesn't seem to be actually working being done by alot of these influencers. They never seem to post bad reviews about any product they get. Everything is wonderful and brilliant and game changing when in reality, not everything is or can be.

A lot are basically taking the bag of cash and not being genuine. There's no credibility in what they are saying in most cases. So that is when Joe public turns off them

Oh I understand that completely but I suppose in that case I vote with my follows and move on. If a blogger is no longer producing content that I like I move on, unfollow and stop engaging. How else are brand supposed to know whose content people are enjoying? It's a bit like going into a shop and buying things, if you keep buying people are going to presume you like what the shop is selling if you know what I mean? If you are still buying even though you no longer enjoy how are their producers supposed to know that you are no longer enjoying their produce?

Maybe I am coming at it from the wrong angle,in that I am presuming that people are enjoying the content they are consuming? So is it a case that people don't mind the people they enjoy being paid for producing that the content they enjoy, but they are bothered people they don't enjoy being paid to produce content? Is it not the case though that it's different stokes for different folks and just because you personally aren't enjoying that content it doesn't mean others aren't?

Cria

fattymuatty wrote: »

I've seen a lot of people both here and across social media saying things like when bloggers/influencers promote a brand it turns them off the brand. People complaining that bloggers are like walking ads, complaining about their use of affiliate links, saying that once they promote a brand they lose all credibility in their eyes, you get the idea.

Lot's of bloggers/influencers whatever you want to call them take a lot of time to style photos, that could include buying props, they take time to do demos, write blogs posts, answer questions etc.
Do you think that bloggers should only do this if they are willing to work for free or sometimes at a loss when you factor in buying products, props, photography equipment etc?

If a blogger is using all the correct #s and being transparent about their paid posts/links/things they have been gifted is it still an issue for you? Or is it the fact that you feel that bloggers are trying to pull the wool over your eyes as such and not being transparent that turns you off them? Would you prefer to pay them directly via a patreon account and have their feeds completely ad and gift free?

Personally I don't have a problem with creators doing sponsored posts or #ads or using affiliate links. I appreciate the time that goes into creating content and when for the most part I enjoy that content it I don't mind them being paid for putting it out there. Much the same way I don't think actors for example should be expected to work for free when they produce tv shows or movies that I enjoy watching. I'm interested in others opinion on this.

There’s a difference between bloggers and influencers bloggers write their own blogs do everything above that you have said and then there are influencers who go on snapchat and talk in a couple of snaps positively about a product they have not even tried yet and do not follow up with a review and to add insult to that facetune for Instance a foundation they have been paid to promote and I mean facetune to the point their nose has practically disappeared

I’m not just someone jumping on the bandwagon I have genuinely followed bloggers since they were actual bloggers who wrote content made YouTube videos gave honest reviews didn’t filter beyond recognition and had actual jobs on the side it’s only since Snapchat came into play and they realised they could make money for doing nothing as a matter of fact for the first 18 months they constantly promoted products without being transparent leading us to believe these opinions were genuine someone even went as far as pretending she purchased a tv from currys only to be found out she was gifted it and paid to promote the company.

These are practices that have only really been changed due to posts on boards and people from
Here reporting them to the ASAI this is forced behaviour it’s not them wanting to be transparent..

I will tell you the majority of people want honest unfiltered content speak about a brand by all means get paid to do so but be honest and the brand should encourage this behaviour with the attitude it may not work for this person but it will work for the next i’m Looking integrity from the influencers and the brands

fattymuatty

Cria wrote: »

There’s a difference between bloggers and influencers bloggers write their own blogs do everything above that you have said and then there are influencers who go on snapchat and talk in a couple of snaps positively about a product they have not even tried yet and do not follow up with a review and to add insult to that facetune for Instance a foundation they have been paid to promote and I mean facetune to the point their nose has practically disappeared

I’m not just someone jumping on the bandwagon I have genuinely followed bloggers since they were actual bloggers who wrote content made YouTube videos gave honest reviews didn’t filter beyond recognition and had actual jobs on the side it’s only since Snapchat came into play and they realised they could make money for doing nothing as a matter of fact for the first 18 months they constantly promoted products without being transparent leading us to believe these opinions were genuine someone even went as far as pretending she purchased a tv from currys only to be found out she was gifted it and paid to promote the company.

These are practices that have only really been changed due to posts on boards and people from
Here reporting them to the ASAI this is forced behaviour it’s not them wanting to be transparent..

I will tell you the majority of people want honest unfiltered content speak about a brand by all means get paid to do so but be honest and the brand should encourage this behaviour with the attitude it may not work for this person but it will work for the next i’m Looking integrity from the influencers and the brands

Ah I have to say I wasn't aware there was a marked difference between bloggers and influencers, I know RMC used to call herself an influencer but she was also a blogger. I also thought that people like FBG and MUF have blogs too although I admit I have never looked for them.

I know that there is actually less demand for written blogs these days and people are preferring more bite sized things like product reviews on Instagram/Instagram stories so I think there is definitely demand for people who don't actually have a blog but review products etc solely on social media platforms. I presume brands are aware of this too.

I'm curious as to how you know when someone is being honest about a product or not? Surely it comes down to trust in a blogger and if you don't trust them then you wouldn't be following them in the first place. So again brands take their leads from the followers. If they think people are liking a blogger or influencer they will pay them to promote their wares.

Take FBG for example she is still according to social blade gaining a following of over 2k people a month and brands are still hiring her. RMC is losing 120 followers a month and I haven't seen her plugging anything lately(although perhaps she just decided to stop?). So from the outside anyway it looks like brands do listen to people and they go where the followers are.

Pistachios & cream

for me it's not the media that used its the content. So if a blogger/influencer uses instagram or writes a blog to review a product i don't really care. What i do care about is the review. If i like and trust the reviewer then i will try and use their affiliate links so they can earn something out of a good review.

I don't like when influencers don't disclose that they use affiliate links or are paid to advertise a product. To me this is an influencer taking advantage of their following. the lack of transparency makes me question all of their content and their overall trustworthiness. I've followed blogs for years and in the last year or so i have noticed much more declaring of affiliate links and brand collaborations. i think this is a natural evolvement of the industry and seeing this makes me applaud the bloggers for being transparent.

while to a certain extent i vote with my feet and unfollow influencers who i think are only giving positive reviews in exchange for money, with some i don't. This is because i don't just follow bloggers for reviews, often they have other content that i'm interested in. they might do makeup looks that i want to recreate, sometimes i identify with them as a person so i'm interested in their life and some people i follow simply out of habit.

njs030

I don't mind them being paid for the work they do, but I think you're over simplyfying the process.

Quite a lot of bloggers/influencers buy followers to look like they have more than they actually have which in turn means brands are more likely to sponsor them, which again means smaller and more honest bloggers don't get any work.

Then there's the amount they get paid. I heard of one who was paid €10,000 to use a particular pram. That's obscene!
Tesco sent new gym gear to multiple bloggers/influencers last week some of whom don't darken the door of gyms and very few that would consider wearing Tesco gear. Generally they show it off then throw it in a cupboard and it's forgotten.

That annoys people because it's clear they weren't being genuine about how great the product was, they didn't try it out and it was just for money.
I think Tesco got quite a lot of tweets about it though!

People are voting with their feet and refusing to engage with the companies that employ the bloggers.

Cria

fattymuatty wrote: »

Ah I have to say I wasn't aware there was a marked difference between bloggers and influencers, I know RMC used to call herself an influencer but she was also a blogger. I also thought that people like FBG and MUF have blogs too although I admit I have never looked for them.

I know that there is actually less demand for written blogs these days and people are preferring more bite sized things like product reviews on Instagram/Instagram stories so I think there is definitely demand for people who don't actually have a blog but review products etc solely on social media platforms. I presume brands are aware of this too.

I'm curious as to how you know when someone is being honest about a product or not? Surely it comes down to trust in a blogger and if you don't trust them then you wouldn't be following them in the first place. So again brands take their leads from the followers. If they think people are liking a blogger or influencer they will pay them to promote their wares.

Take FBG for example she is still according to social blade gaining a following of over 2k people a month and brands are still hiring her. RMC is losing 120 followers a month and I haven't seen her plugging anything lately(although perhaps she just decided to stop?). So from the outside anyway it looks like brands do listen to people and they go where the followers are.

One of the ways it was realised was these companies send out products to many top influencers some were clear about payment etc and some weren’t facesbygrace along with Rosie Connolly and the MUF were some of the worst offenders they started to be more clear as these threads became more highlighted

It’s absolutely up to brands and the agents who represent these influencers like Andrea Roche to ensure that these people are being clear and honest and not photoshopping their bodies to a size 4 whilst selling tickets to promote body confidence

Most influencers have got the memo and addressed the situation except for the main person this is all about the make up fairy she throws words out like bullying and has not come out since to explain why she photoshops beyond recognition, her and the Andrea Roche team seem to be the only ones who are trying to ignore the situation until it blows over the genie is out of the bottle now they have to be held accountable and ignoring it is not going to work this time

As for followers increasing when something like this happens people follow the person to see them carrying on and to follow up on comments made in these threads it’s like car crash tv you just want to see how they react

The tide is really turning

fattymuatty

notjustsweet wrote: »

I don't mind them being paid for the work they do, but I think you're over simplyfying the process.

Quite a lot of bloggers/influencers buy followers to look like they have more than they actually have which in turn means brands are more likely to sponsor them, which again means smaller and more honest bloggers don't get any work.

Then there's the amount they get paid. I heard of one who was paid €10,000 to use a particular pram. That's obscene!
Tesco sent new gym gear to multiple bloggers/influencers last week some of whom don't darken the door of gyms and very few that would consider wearing Tesco gear. Generally they show it off then throw it in a cupboard and it's forgotten.

That annoys people because it's clear they weren't being genuine about how great the product was, they didn't try it out and it was just for money.
I think Tesco got quite a lot of tweets about it though!

People are voting with their feet and refusing to engage with the companies that employ the bloggers.

I would presume the purpose of Tesco giving the gym gear to a rich none gym goer is that their followers might be gym goers and wouldn't be rich? It's not about actually giving the person the gym gear it is about letting their followers know that the gym gear is available and considering how many times I have heard Tesco gym gear over the last few days it has definitely worked. It wasn't meant to be a review I don't think, just a hey Tesco are stocking these.

Pistachios & cream

fattymuatty wrote: »

I would presume the purpose of Tesco giving the gym gear to a rich none gym goer is that their followers might be gym goers and wouldn't be rich? It's not about actually giving the person the gym gear it is about letting their followers know that the gym gear is available and considering how many times I have heard Tesco gym gear over the last few days it has definitely worked. It wasn't meant to be a review I don't think, just a hey Tesco are stocking these.

But it is an endorsement. By wearing the products and giving an opinion on it the influencer is endorsing the product.

Whats annoying is when the influencer would never endorse the product unless they were paid to.

njs030

fattymuatty wrote: »

I would presume the purpose of Tesco giving the gym gear to a rich none gym goer is that their followers might be gym goers and wouldn't be rich? It's not about actually giving the person the gym gear it is about letting their followers know that the gym gear is available and considering how many times I have heard Tesco gym gear over the last few days it has definitely worked. It wasn't meant to be a review I don't think, just a hey Tesco are stocking these.

The problem is what you think vs what I think or what the 15 year old watching thinks are all different things.
An ad doesn't say "look we sell this" it says "look we sell this come and buy it"

I think Lisa Jordan said something along the lines of its good to use as leisure wear too but watch her and see when you ever see her wear it again!

fattymuatty

ahayes84 wrote: »

But it is an endorsement. By wearing the products and giving an opinion on it the influencer is endorsing the product.

Whats annoying is when the influencer would never endorse the product unless they were paid to.

I only saw MUF mention them and she literally just said I got these from Tesco they are so cute, in lots of patterns, she never even put them on. If someone else who got them said these are the best gym gear, they work great when I squat blah blah and they've never worn them then yeah I can see your point but pointing out that something is available and looks nice or is good for walking the dog(most things are), I can't see the problem with it.

If they never ever mention any products that they aren't paid to then I can see how that would be annoying, if what they blog about/talk about is products.

Pistachios & cream

fattymuatty wrote: »

If they never ever mention any products that they aren't paid to then I can see how that would be annoying, if what they blog about/talk about is products.

That’s it exactly some influencers only mention items they are paid to mention or are given for free which is payment in kind.

Also by telling us about the product they Imply that it’s something they like and would use. However a huge amount of the stuff they promote is left unused or unworn outside of the snap/Instagram photo. That’s just advertising and often it’s not clear that it’s advertising.

I don’t think we should just focus on one example like Tesco as some bloggers did a good job of reviewing them and some put up the hashtags that indicated it was sponsored. But this type of endorsing/advertising is a lot os some bloggers content and it’s not clear.

I don’t mind bloggers getting paid but I do want them to be transparent.

meeeeh

My opinion is that I have no right to expect quality content if it isn't paid somehow and not by the supplier of product that is being reviewed. Very often the quality is not there anyway. Paid or not I would expect advertising code to be adhered to.

However I don't give a damn if someone is paid 50 euro or 50000 as long as they are transparent about advertising. I tend to stick to Guardian and IT, I have also no interest in personal life of any of the bloggers or their general opinions on the subjects they know nothing about or less than I do.

witchgirl26

I don't mind a blogger or influencer (whatever you want to call them) doing sponsored posts or working with brands as long as they are up front and honest about it. I generally prefer bloggers who only work with a small number of brands though that fit with their non-sponsored content as then I'm more likely to trust what they're saying and feel like they genuinely believe in the product/brand rather than those who hop from brand to brand and product to product depending on who's paying them this week. If the sponsored content from numerous brands starts to get too much I generally unfollow.

I don't think that they should work for free at all. At the end of the day they deserve to be paid for their hard work but I feel that diluting it too much lessons the impact their looking for. For example there was a UK blogger I used to follow and every second week there was a new post about "the best foundation I've ever tried" that was always different brands. Whereas another one I follow has consistently worked with a small number of brands that she always seems to use so I'm more likely to trust her opinion on something.