The Insta-Endorsement
So two things, if you know me, you know I take Instagram very seriously - I’ve been a long time fan, supporter, heckler, advocate, grammer. You also might or might not know that It’s been damn near years since I’ve blogged on this or at all.
Few reasons there, none that deserve much time (as they already took too much of mine), and so here we are. I’m blogging about the ole’ IG again and yep, it’s about to be another bitch fest.
Just read this new NYT article on regulations pushing pushers to add #ad to any product endorsements. Before I digress too much on the larger picture/problem, let’s talk about having to tell people they’re viewing an ad… I mean do we really? If they aren’t slick enough to figure out that No, Kimmy doesn’t actually use that hair tonic pill or she does but wouldn’t have if they didn’t send her a lifetime supply, nor would she blog on it if they didn’t pay her to do so… well then, my friends, there’s probably little else this world can do to help you, period. You’re most likely one of those fair folk who needs the yellow dots on the corner, or requires microwave instructions for PopTarts. No disrespect but the world won’t always leave instructions… J’sayin’.
Again back to the main event, the endorsement. But first read the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/business/media/instagram-ads-marketing-kardashian.html?_r=0
“These mentions, however, are often presented as testimonials rather than advertisements, a practice that at least one consumer advocacy group has claimed is deceptive. And the Federal Trade Commission has found itself struggling to articulate exactly how these sorts of paid brand endorsements should be handled to ensure that they are identified as ads.”
Now, this piece, although pretty spot on, goes way back to the argument I’ve been making since 2012/13 - and that garnered me many elite insta-haters - around the favor given to things and brands by accounts on Instagram, even by Instagram itself. When you can form a new brand (ehem “Tinker Street/Mobile”) basically claiming “we have XX Million followers that you can tap into by (Shhhh) paying us to pimp your brand in what looks like an innocent Instagram post…"
I see a lot of grey and not the kind that is easily explained away. And now on the flip side when there are in fact companies forming that brands can pay to tap into influencers for them and post on their channels promoting products…
…makes you stop and think when Instagram says "you should follow this person” (called an endorsement), and that person then earns (loose definition) 10K new followers each week that IG follows them…
Then when those people make a living off of the endorsement, the monolithic follower count, and subsequently dubbed an “influencer” in the field. Kind of a snake eating it’s own tail, don’t you think?
Just going to leave all of there for you to think about. Feel free to discuss, condemn, hiss or praise. I take them all at equal measure.
- kelly