Bloggers and #ad (Naming bloggers means a ban!)

heyjude88 · 30-11-2016 06:37PM

I'm just so annoyed. Im in my 30s and can see through all the pushing. But younger people might not.

These "gift guides" are a total joke. One though has really hit a nerve. So a blogger (is an employee for a business woman who is prominent on snap chat) has done a gift guide.....

Literally in the last 2 weeks she has shown these on snap chat that she has received these products along with many other bloggers. She has never said ad, I presume as they were "a gift". But now her gift guide blog is literally everything she received. Does she think people are stupid? I knew before I even looked what would be on it.

A hairdryer... she has been using the past 3 weeks and loves it
A straightning brush.... she swears by it and has used it for ONE week
A steam-pod... she got to go to a salon last week and got her hair done with it and swears by it.

No where has she declared she has gotten this all for free. So misleading and in a way so cheeky I think! Sorry for the rant.

Hopeful2016 · 30-11-2016 08:50PM

fitzytour wrote: »

There's one Dublin mummy blogger who is currently talking about infertility! She was doing so on her snapchat and mentioned VHI, I thought nothing of it until I saw on her Instagram she had a post up about VHI and had #ad underneath. I just commented referring to the fact, I didn't see a #ad on snapchat and now the post is deleted! Call me naive but what's that about?!!

I find this blogger very disingenuous, she's all "I'm just a new mummy trying to help other new mummies" when really she's cashing in left right and centre pushing endless product and neglecting to disclose they are paid for promotions. It's the fact that she's so obvious about it that annoys me. She hash tags some of the ads but not all, like the VHI one, hashtagged on Facebook but not Snapchat or instagram until it'll she was pulled up on it by a follower. She clearly knows full well that it needed to disclosed or she wouldn't have included the #ad on Facebook but was trying to deceive her followers on Snapchat. If she's not disclosing it to her followers it would make me wonder if she's disclosing it to Revenue either... deceptively pushing products to new mothers while pretending to be some kind of "friend" is pretty low Imo. Having a new baby is expensive enough.

idunno78 · 01-12-2016 01:23PM

Someone queried safe food for using a beauty blogger to advertise folic acid! She said she was a lifestyle blogger and ambassador for various lifestyle brands. Then someone asked what exactly is a lifestyle ambassador? Answer? 'Buy my book'. (Gave me a laugh)
I wonder when bloggers advertise things like this do they actually do a bit of research or just go by what there told!?

hearmehearye · 01-12-2016 02:45PM

idunno78 wrote: »

Someone queried safe food for using a beauty blogger to advertise folic acid! She said she was a lifestyle blogger and ambassador for various lifestyle brands. Then someone asked what exactly is a lifestyle ambassador? Answer? 'Buy my book'. (Gave me a laugh)
I wonder when bloggers advertise things like this do they actually do a bit of research or just go by what there told!?

One blogger in particular has a post up on her blog, and it's basically a copy and paste from Safe Food. There's maybe one or two "personalised" lines added in, like "now that I am a mother I feel I need to not just write about fashion & make up but other topics that may potentially help someone down the line"... etc.

Same goes for the Dublin blogger... yeah it's really helpful when all of a sudden there's numerous bloggers/influencers taking folic acid and vitamin D. :rolleyes:

It's blatantly obvious when a big press release/campaign is going on. Sure, maybe folic acid is important to you, but at least make reference to working with SafeFood!

Sunny Dayz · 01-12-2016 03:59PM

hearmehearye wrote: »

Same goes for the Dublin blogger... yeah it's really helpful when all of a sudden there's numerous bloggers/influencers taking folic acid and vitamin D. :rolleyes:

It's blatantly obvious when a big press release/campaign is going on. Sure, maybe folic acid is important to you, but at least make reference to working with SafeFood!

While I do think that they are just "copy and paste" jobs from press releases I do think they are a good fit to post these things. Their target markets are 20's something year old women who wouldn't think of taking folic acid or VitD but they should be. Only problem is they are out promoting a particular brand rather than just creating awareness.

hearmehearye · 01-12-2016 06:07PM

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

While I do think that they are just "copy and paste" jobs from press releases I do think they are a good fit to post these things. Their target markets are 20's something year old women who wouldn't think of taking folic acid or VitD but they should be. Only problem is they are out promoting a particular brand rather than just creating awareness.

I'm 21 but lately I feel like content is aimed towards mid 30 - something's. There's very few bloggers who I enjoy but I follow the majority, and that's the vibe I've been getting in the last 6 months or so. Especially when I click on worshipping comments on Insta/FB etc., expecting to see a 17 year old or something but instead it seems to be women 30+!

I have been taking Vitamin D since I was about 16 but have zero intention to have kids so I can't see why I would bother with Folic Acid.

Sunny Dayz · 01-12-2016 06:46PM

hearmehearye wrote: »

I have been taking Vitamin D since I was about 16 but have zero intention to have kids so I can't see why I would bother with Folic Acid.

I'm in the same mindset as yourself with the Folic Acid but on the other hand I feel that I probably should be taking it "just in case". I think that's what the blogger, sorry the marketing campaign is trying get across is that sexually active women of child bearing age should take it just incase.

SpillingTheTea · 01-12-2016 08:21PM

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

hearmehearye wrote: »

I have been taking Vitamin D since I was about 16 but have zero intention to have kids so I can't see why I would bother with Folic Acid.

I'm in the same mindset as yourself with the Folic Acid but on the other hand I feel that I probably should be taking it "just in case". I think that's what the blogger, sorry the marketing campaign is trying get across is that sexually active women of child bearing age should take it just incase.

Safe Food posted something on Instagram saying something along the lines of 'even if you aren't planning on children just yet, you should take folic acid' and people aren't having any of it.

I know this isn't the same thing because bloggers are now promoting vitamins and I'm obviously not against taking vitamins, but these people aren't healthcare professionals. What's next?

There should be something saying #ad or #spon on posts like that because they're alluding to us being their friends and they are telling us about something they find helps them, when that's not entirely true.

hearmehearye · 01-12-2016 09:29PM

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

I'm in the same mindset as yourself with the Folic Acid but on the other hand I feel that I probably should be taking it "just in case". I think that's what the blogger, sorry the marketing campaign is trying get across is that sexually active women of child bearing age should take it just incase.

While I get exactly what you're saying, that's all on the principle that said surprise baby would be kept

Hopeful2016 · 03-12-2016 09:57PM

miamee wrote: »

Surely when other media outlets are doing a push on the same thing in the same week, e.g. VHI infertility services last week, they realise that people will know it's an ad anyway?! Or do they think their readers/followers are that clueless?

Some people do appear to be clueless about these things, there were a good few comments under the Dublin mummy blogger's post on Instagram last week plugging this VHI event. One of the comments was someone saying they had no idea it was an ad when they heard her plugging it on Snapchat. Another few comments on how she should have been #ad her snaps. Then there was one follower who said what does it matter if she didn't #ad the VHI snaps because it was talk that was being publicised, not a product. This person seemed to not make any connection between the VHI talk and the fact that VHI are now selling/promoting health insurance plans which include enhanced cover for fertility tests/procedures. She seemed to think they were doing some kind of public service announcement, not flogging their health cover.

heyjude88 · 05-12-2016 11:18PM

My friend knows a blogger who was at the pennys launch today. All the stuff that was "bought" and is now being showed on snapchat, was purchased using a 200 euro gift card given to both blogger and their plus one.

Have not seen one blogger disclose this.

One big ad. So annoying as its gifted they don't have to say it.

fed_u · 05-12-2016 11:34PM

I'm not one bit surprised about the Penney's outing! Saw they were brought to lunch also so figured they were being well looked after! You'd really wonder why Penney's feel the need to bother with such measures...

idunno78 · 06-12-2016 11:52AM

Kinda was wondering about that! Just saw one person I follow on Snapchat at it. But she had 2 full baskets and so did all the others in her snaps! They were making a beeline for baskets when they walked in the door to! I guess there is just so many loopholes for companies to use so they get away without having to say it's an ad!!

Sunny Dayz · 06-12-2016 12:43PM

I seen the new store opening post a video on their facebook of an Irish blogger promoting their new store. I don't follow the blogger but out of nosiness (and because I'm not in the form for working!) I clicked her facebook page to see what she had up about this and most of posts she had for the store brand were hashtagged with #ad or #sp (which I take it means sponsored).

retro:electro · 06-12-2016 12:57PM

Why are they acting like its the first Penneys in Ireland?

LizT · 06-12-2016 07:48PM

Currys PC world sent some nice gifts today...

tatumkelly · 06-12-2016 07:53PM

LizT wrote: »

Currys PC world sent some nice gifts today...

Anyone else notice one blogger blatantly lie and say she had got the Currys package as a gift for her mum?

Hopeful2016 · 06-12-2016 08:09PM

tatumkelly wrote: »

Anyone else notice one blogger blatantly lie and say she had got the Currys package as a gift for her mum?

Yeah, the same one who wasn't disclosing the VHI ad on Snapchat too. I'm sure Currys will be thrilled to not even get a thank you like the others gave them. She's shameless.

Also a makeup artist blogger snapping this morning about the Siurca Ireland promotion but not including #ad, snapped later in the day after other bloggers had done, including #ad.

jockeyboard · 06-12-2016 08:44PM

No one giving out about the two male bloggers who did the gingerbread house without any mention of #ad. Just thinking there are not many complaints about those two male bloggers who i have NEVER seen #ad on snapchat.

Hopeful2016 · 06-12-2016 08:49PM

jockeyboard wrote: »

No one giving out about the two male bloggers who did the gingerbread house without any mention of #ad. Just thinking there are not many complaints about those two male bloggers who i have NEVER seen #ad on snapchat.

Personally don't follow either of them.

retro:electro · 06-12-2016 08:59PM

One blogger decked out head to toe in V by Very, no mention of it being sponsored or an ad when it quite clearly is.

heyjude88 · 06-12-2016 09:32PM

tatumkelly wrote: »

Anyone else notice one blogger blatantly lie and say she had got the Currys package as a gift for her mum?

oh my!!
Just catching up after work.

DISGUSTING. she should be ashamed of herself! scarlet for her, passing off freebies as a thank you present to her own mother !!!

Again, another gift so no need for an ad! grrrr

idunno78 · 06-12-2016 10:01PM

Hopeful2016 wrote: »

Personally don't follow either of them.

I saw the videos so know who this is. I folllowed one of them but stopped because it just got to annoying!!! Was defo fake him scaring his Mam! Haven't seen snaps yet about present for bloggers Mam but jese that's bad form!

Saw similar on Instagram a YouTube from Uk saying she was doing a giveaway to give back to her followers to say thanks. Next day it went up and was #ad! She receives way more stuff then any of the Irish bloggers like ya couldn't use quarter of what she gets so you would imagine she would give some of that away! I unfollowed her to because all she did was show the stuff she got! At least the Irish girls show more then that!!

SpillingTheTea · 06-12-2016 10:47PM

Is the #ThanksPenneys on Instagram their way around saying #ad?

retro:electro · 06-12-2016 11:19PM

I don't know who ye are talking about but how do ye know that she didn't just order something separately from Currys herself?

forumuser · 06-12-2016 11:29PM

anna080 wrote: »

One blogger decked out head to toe in V by Very, no mention of it being sponsored or an ad when it quite clearly is.

Saw that this evening, I don't know if I've ever seen her use #ad actually

heyjude88 · 07-12-2016 12:00AM

anna080 wrote: »

I don't know who ye are talking about but how do ye know that she didn't just order something separately from Currys herself?

Came in a big red box, with a big bow and a a big currys sticker on it.
She said "and a big package arrived from currys today for my mam, hopefully its gonna fit where I want it to fit" "I wanted to get her something that she needed to say thanks....."

Was the same as the others bloggers got. Same box, bow and sticker. I know when I order from currys I get a boring brown box with an invoice inside.

scarbouro · 07-12-2016 10:01AM

forumuser wrote: »

Saw that this evening, I don't know if I've ever seen her use #ad actually

Agree, I don't think I've ever seen this particular blogger use ad on any of her social media. She collaborates with quite a few brands too.

Sunny Dayz · 07-12-2016 10:42AM

anna080 wrote: »

One blogger decked out head to toe in V by Very, no mention of it being sponsored or an ad when it quite clearly is.

I think she mentioned earlier in the day that she was shooting some looks with the brand. See I think this is where the lines get blurred. She worked for so long as a model, obviously she got paid to model clothes, so why should she now have to disclose something which was her bread and butter.

miamee · 07-12-2016 10:52AM

SpillingTheTea wrote: »

Is the #ThanksPenneys on Instagram their way around saying #ad?

Sometimes in a campaign, the PR company/ad agency/whoever will give a hashtag to be used. You'd often see it at a specific event (alunch, etc.) too, I guess it helps them to keep track of activity about the campaign. Not sure it replaces marking something as an advertisement though.

Bloggers and #ad (Naming bloggers means a ban!)

Comments