Bloggers mentioning/promoting products

meeeeh wrote: »

SpillingTheTea wrote: »

OMG Grace really annoyed me today on Snapchat. She received a PR package (didn't #ad it- what a surprise!) but it was two bottles of health drops that contained magnesium. She went off saying that she heard that if you are lacking in magnesium, you are likely to have anxiety so she's going to give them a go.

I must say that health claims like that annoy me hell of a lot more than free samples. And that should be policed a lot more strictly, similarly to how Actimel aren't allowed any claims about unproven immunity boosting qualities. Of course if only verified claims could be allowed Rosanna Davidson could just as well shut her website down. It is hard to distinguish between actual advertising and someone just making deluded health claims because they actually believe in them.

I completely agree with you. I do believe most are making deluded health claims. It's just really irritating and irresponsible

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Video re teeth is up and nothing about it being an ad I assume it is as its a collaboration? It says that right at the end of the description. But shouldn't it say it it title?

idunno78 wrote: »

Video re teeth is up and nothing about it being an ad I assume it is as its a collaboration? It says that right at the end of the description. But shouldn't it say it it title?

Snap idunno78! We were obviously thinking the same thing!!

sashafierce wrote: »

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That was what I was thinking also. Looks like there was a possible discount or freebie maybe. At one stage on the video, says something along lines that they reached out to do a collaboration and that she's lucky and that sometimes good things happen to bloggers!! What the actual fcuk?! Such tripe! It was strange as yesterday (or maybe it was the day before), had a post on instagram about the veneer review being on youtube (no #ad or similar of course). That post on instagram has since been removed which is weird.

The thing I find funny, after SJ's veneer video, I checked the website for the pricing out of interest and there is a sale on at the moment for all veneers, so I am very sceptical about the timing of the review. SJ also said 'I am not here to sell you these', but she got them for free and her comment about 'bloggers being very lucky to get things' to me is just fishy. There's no such thing as a free lunch so the reason why companies reach out to bloggers/influencers is because they want their services/products to be hopefully advertised and it is so obvious!

So IMO, if goods or services have been gifted for a hope there will be a mention, either by video, blogpost, instagram post or by snapchat, to me that's the same as a regular ad (IMO). Bloggers and influencers can try to defend it as 'Well I wasn't paid' or 'I wasn't asked to mention it' or 'I don't mention anything that I don't want' etc but that doesn't mean that it isn't a sly ad.

SJ was willing to shell out a couple of thousand for her teeth and had she of done that and then made a review, then I would respect her review, but this is clearly an ad and it's quite obvious.

ratmouse wrote: »

Did anyone see SJs veneers review? Mentioned that the company reached out to do a collaboration. Should this be marked as a sponsored post/video then or marked as an advertisement or is mentioning the collaboration enough? I know there are guidelines but it seems that looking at scenarios like this on a case by case basis throws up different circumstances and questions in relations to these.

Surely if she says it's a collaboration, is this not the same thing? Are people not then aware that this is what it is??

I have to say, I feel like i've heard it all now - 'longer teeth'???

€695 per tooth?????

SpillingTheTea wrote: »

Exactly! It's an ad, because how can you collaborate with a brand if only you are getting something out of it? Then that's not a collab haha :pac:

I'm not sure I agree.

A collaboration to me means working alongside another company. Generally there will be something out of it for others in the form of discount codes.

SpillingTheTea wrote: »

Yeah but SJ was the only one gaining. There were no discount codes given, just information on the product in form of a review.

No, she gave a 'deal' at the end of the vlog.

SpillingTheTea wrote: »

I did see that, but as I posted earlier, I was very sceptical at the timing of the review because there is a sale on now with the clinic. The prices she mentioned are the current prices now so tbh, we as the potential customers are not getting a 'deal'.

The use discount codes or affiliate links is just a back door way that bloggers/infuencers make money without needing to use #ad or #spon.

IT is not stated anywhere that #ad or #spon must be used.

She did say it was a collaboration.

MuffinTop86 wrote: »

I know I'm a fan of Rosemary Mac Cabe but she has been called a hypocrite before and I totally see it.
She likes to jump from being "one of us" be poking fun at bloggers with mean girls-style headings ("stop trying to make rose gold happen") which many readers commented was a dig at Suzanne Jackson, which I agree with.
To then doing #followfriday linking Suzanne's page on facebook and posting a link to the lashes.
Sucking up to the person she just mocked, how quirky.

It's so funny how people interpret different things. TBH I didn't have Suzanne in mind at all with that post (I don't think I've ever seen her talking about rose gold?!) – it was more about the generic Insta stars who model themselves Sincerely Jules etc, and I did make the point that I'm guilty of a lot of the things I slag bloggers for! We all are!

Sue and I are quite friendly, and I REALLY admire what she's built up, even if sometimes she posts things that I'll slag her about – and in fact I usually snap her and joke about things I've seen on her story. I think she just laughs and gets my sense of humour – I take the piss out of a lot of my friends, and there's genuinely no malice in it.

Social media + blogging are funny worlds, and it's gas sometimes when you see people trying to be "original" by doing the exact same thing as 100 other people, and my attitude is that you just have to laugh at it!

(eg I put up a "flatlay" pic one day and I was in my sister's house in the US, chatting to her friend, and her friend was looking through my Insta and she went, "oh my God this blogger pic – this is so clichéd!" and laughed her head off. And I looked at it again and went, oh God, the ONLY reason I ever take pictures from above is because I think it's the "done" thing! So, I think it's funny and silly, but I still do it if that makes sense!)

222233 wrote: »

I sadly think blogging - actually writing a blog is dying off, I even think vlogging and social media are becoming too saturated. I wonder if blogging as we know it is coming to an end and that's why we see so many bloggers launching products etc. and moving away from what initially made them "popular" (lifestyle blogs, reviews etc)?

I think that's very true. Even in terms of popularity – people don't read blogs half as much any more, as they get their content from social media more than from blogs. I know one of the big gripes is that bloggers don't *actually* blog any more – but, when you get 15,000 people watching your snaps and only 4,000 a day on average reading your blog... sometimes it makes more sense to push your content out through Snapchat, if that makes sense!

Ultimately, though, I don't think blogging is "dying"; I always tell people that I'm aiming to be doing this – creating content – for years, whether that's on my blog, in video form, maybe a podcast... So it's about figuring out how to reach out to people in the most effective way. For some people, that will definitely be by turning yourself into a "brand".