Insta-Influencers - Do you think we really care? Read the flipping room!

[Chocolateteabag]

What is with all the "look at us all having a lovely lunch/drinks party/holiday abroad/trip to Ascot/Wimbledon blah blah blah"

Do brands really think that watching other people having a lovely freebie time will get us plebs rushing to pay full whack for their stuff?
Is that really going to drive up sales as we head into fricking recession?

I don't really mind being shown stuff by the Insta lot in their bedrooms or flouncing about next to their nearest wall. I get to see what clothes look like on different shapes etc etc

But seriously - seeing "the beautiful people" all rolling about laughing and having a fabulous time to "launch a new product" or "celebrate" such and such brand feels so "them & us" - AIBU?

Yes YABU - you jealous fool
No YANBU - there is something a bit weird in promoting a brand by having an exclusive event which only a small special group are invited - exclusionary?

People saying it's just advertising don't get how insidious it is. Influencers do NOT always make it clear when they are advertising a product. So either the #ad #gifted is it teeny tiny font hidden under the message bar or they don't bother to tag every post.

So they deliberately foster a "I'm just like you" persona to hook you in but then don't make it clear they are profiting from that 'relationship'.

But yeah rich people being sent free stuff does my head in and has put me off so many brands.

@Covidwoes there's one from my area who homeschools her child and her posts of them out and about mainly in cafes always has the hashtag #toocoolforschool urgh! Her husband is incredibly rich and keeps her in a very nice lifestyle, she is constantly bragging about what he has brought for her or she has brought for herself and promotes it on insta. I used to really like her but she has got incredibly smug over the year. We were friends on Facebook until she went on a rant about homeschooling being much better for children, someone commented that not everyone can afford that option I liked the comment and was blocked !!

Just unfollow op - if more did the same the freebie thing would go away

yep

You do realise brands use influencers because people follow them. It seems strange to complain when as a follower, you’re the very person that fuels the thing that you supposedly hate.

Totally agree.
I think the worst ones are the ones with families. They are so busy filming etc they are not paying attention to their own children and enjoying the time with them 😞

But it does work - sad to say but it must. You or me may not even look at instagram (I'm more a Pinterest person myself) but the fact remains millions do, snd thousands buy.

As someone who works in marketing I can tell you the strategy works very well. You are clearly not the target audience though. Why look at instagram accounts that you're not interested in?

I don't mind accounts such as Jessontheplussize, who pretty much sticks to the fashion stuff and puts a lot of effort into her posts and reels. When she does post things like her holidays I like to see it as she seems a nice person.
Then you get the mummy bloggers who just exploit every part of their children's lives and advertise anything that gets offered to them. I think there should be more laws around how these children are exploited.

But they aren't getting "free stuff". They are sent stuff in return for showcasing it on SM. And if they don't do it well or it doesn't produce any return then they don't get sent any more. Its a contract. Companies aren't just sending free stuff to their mates 🤣
And yes it works. And yes people buy.

Did you all think Penelope Keith had paid for the Shake N Vac and that was actual footage of her vacuuming the sitting room?

Or that Gary Linekar just really likes crisps?

Or the non-famous woman in the dentafix ads was just someone random?

If you emoy some common sense and commercial awareness to your insta consumption, you'd be a lot less annoyed! Or come off insta.

The kids all know they're being influenced. They get it. Just as we did when Just17 said we HAD to get the latest Rimmel lippy.

YANBU.
It actually puts me off a brand when they give so many freebies to “influencers” yet the peasants must pay.

This is a bit ironic, given where I'm posting, but: just get off insta. Life is better off it, I promise. Even the accounts I liked, I never miss when I come off. I sometimes go back on and feel shit within minutes. I agree they're all full of shit but the app is designed to pull people in that direction. It's not them, it's not you, it's IT.

I voted unreasonable becayse you choose to look and you clearly care very much as you’re not just looking but starting a thread on it. You give way more of a shit than I do or is healthy for you

@Covidwoes I follow that same person - TQ - and can see she is doing a lot on Tik Tok at the moment, clearly mindful that the instagram bubble is bursting. I should unfollow really. She did a campaign last year for an air purifier thing which we were looking into buying at the time, and I messaged her asking about it and got no reply. We bought a different model in the end.

Everybody is just trying to make money.

That’s all that matters, these days.

YABU. Lots of people like looking at fancy stuff even if they couldn't possibly afford to buy/do it. It's escapism, fantasy, vicarious enjoyment etc. It's pretty to look at.

Penelope Keith wouldn’t go near shake n vac 🤣. It wasn’t her!

stop following them. I had a huge cull a few months ago and feel better for it!

I know it sounds too obvious for words, but yes, just stop looking. I only look at stuff I find informative or uplifting in some way. Just scroll away.

I have a business - I promote my business- I have no interest whatsoever ininfluencers as they are totally irrelevant when it comes to influencing a load of intelligent guys 45 years plus. I guess the thing is the companies using this method know it works on many women - otherwise QVC would never have worked -

@lollipoprainbow, what a cringe-y hashtag! It's so silly when you're blocked for questioning or disagreeing with something. I have a friend who home educates, and she only follows very select home ed accounts online, as she said a lot of them don't show any evidence of actual learning, particularly in Reading, Writing and Maths. I'm a teacher, and I must admit I also thought this about the accounts I've seen, but wondered if my opinion was skewed due to my job.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses that's such a shame your message wasn't replied to. I don't mind people who actually give their time to people. It makes me wonder how often these influencers actually use the products they're advertising too.

Got to love to hate a few influencers. My pet peeve is when they say something along the lines of ‘Brand work coming up. Thanks for engaging with these posts. It allows me to be here producing this content for you all’. As if they’re doing you a bloody favour.

@Covidwoes I’m a lecturer in digital marketing and one of the key things I teach students is about engaging with followers, so it really irked me. Glad I didn’t use her affiliate link!

@Judystilldreamsofhorses Why do you think the Instagram bubble is bursting? Just interested.

@123Callie i think there are two separate issues here, but obviously just my opinion. One, Instagram as a platform has changed massively. The setup is so annoying now, the way your feed is a jumble of things you do and don’t follow, and the move to prioritising video-based content. If people want videos, go to Tik Tok or YouTube!

Secondly, I think Instagram influencers are on borrowed time. That whole relationship was built on trust, that the person was ordinary and like a “friend”. Now it’s essentially a sales role (which I am sure is very lucrative) but everyone knows that and the trust is gone. Sure, you might still see someone in a nice dress and go off and buy it yourself, but you’re less likely to think “oh, X person really loves Beauty Pie, it must be great, I’ll sign up”.