Bloggers and brands

[homebythesea]

I love blogs, YouTube, Instagram etc but sometimes do wonder what's in it for the brands especially regarding blogger events.

Straight up reviews of things they get sent I totally get- they try things on/ use a face cream, wax lyrical about how great the thing is, people click through and buy said item. Straightforward advertising. No problem with that at all.

But when a blogger is invited to a dinner, or night away at a hotel, or a movie premiere by a brand I just don't get what is worth the expense? From the blogger perspective they get a night out and a goodie bag and maybe even paid to attend. But what does the brand get in return? A brief tag on an Instagram pic, some photos of beautiful place settings at dinner......but not necessarily sales?? These events must cost thousands to put on.

Hopefully someone with some knowledge about these things will enlighten us!

I do sort of lean towards the school of young people learn more from the mistakes they make than from the lectures of others, no matter how tempting it is to want to protect them. No one ever feels better from hearing, 'I told you so'. I don't know if anti-capitalism is a solution either, in these situations I do feel the better informed you are, the less susceptible. Knowledge is power. You may end up a bit too cynical and overly suspicious, but that's preferable to naive in my book.

The annoying thing is that Youtuber isn't necessarily lying, she probably did buy that bag of goodies, look she has a receipt and bag and everything, she probably held them up demonstratively, she's merely omitting the part that it was paid with a complimentary gift card from Asos, Boots, etc.

Since your DD is into Sociology currently the Adam Curtis documentaries may be a good way in. 'The Century of Self' is a great insight of what stands at the basis of most modern advertising where desire is awakened over need and what ramifications that has in politcal power structures tied into economics. Also goes heavily into the use of fear and how emotions are manufactured against you. It's a great documentary, so should be enjoyable to you both. Exploration of the theme of power in most of his documentary work makes them all the more relevant in the current climate.

I just thought of this thread while I was flicking through instagram - one of the people I follow, style_mum, has been invited to a posh dinner and night's stay at an achingly trendy London hotel, by.....Bon Marche. Yes, the place I take my 75yo MIL shopping when she comes for Christmas. Wall-to-wall polyester, elastic waists, tunics and easy-wash knits; at 50 I'm easily the youngest person in the store when I take her.

I will eat my hat if style_mum (who is probably around 30) is ever seen dead wearing Bon Marche. And I can't imagine how anyone who follows her on instagram is going to think "ooh, Bon Marche, what a cool place that must be" and rush to the nearest store. But hey, good luck to them.

For anyone interested in the numbers, this article from The Fashion Law breaks down the type of engagement brands are looking for and who delivers that most effectively with these type of non-direct sales posts to measure influence. I was a bit shocked to discover that the Daily Mail has more influence than Vogue

By the Numbers: Breaking Down Fashion Month by City, Brand, Influencer & Instagram

Also, credit where credit's due. MNHQ has clearly been stating on their latest Swears By and Deals threads that those are not direct forms of advertisement and that they receive a % of the sale when you use the link to buy. I doubt that's a result of my whinging on here, in fact, I hope it's a conclusion they came to internally but worthy of noting nonetheless.

Fair play MNHQ. This isn't only about integrity either, it's about keeping these boards interesting. I am easily bored - which is why I no longer read any bloggers - and if S&B were to turn into yet another forum for undisclosed PR then there wouldn't be any point in hanging around.

This is a brilliant, intelligent thinking thread, with several of my favourite posters fully engaged.

If I may add some thoughts... Now that magazine readership is declining, many people will take fashion cues from the weekend style supplements, which are thinly veiled advertorials. And most are over-paid shills for over-priced products. Not many of us expect to buy each season's must have bag, or would want to.

Yet magazines and their stylists have an essential role in interpreting high fashion for everyday use and wear (the function of clothing as I recall). I am lucky and have three clever independent boutiques in my (tiny, rural) small town. The people who own and run them shop with each other, as well as in London. Between them, they cater to the requirements of lots of women, from the corporately professional to the slightly obsessive, and all grades in between, with a bit to spend. None of them sell much that costs more than £500 (for a big coat). What isn't served well is the person who would once have gone to M&S for the basics, because M&S don't do anything as dull as a basic turtleneck merino in black/navy/charcoal/tomato/pink/sky blue. Instead they offer cut out shoulders, in November.

Bloggers are rapidly becoming blaggers, with apologies to those not old enough to get the full disdain that goes with the term.

Placemarking.

I work in ECommerce - it's essential Above The Line Marketing for any old school marketers that still use that term

No ROI as such, but the same as businesses wining and dining their clients, it's to bring them into the fold so to speak - to nurture the relationship and features are just a bonus.

I'm actually hosting one this week

I do so enjoy it when people from the 'biz' come on threads like these and prove exactly how they earn their money, by throwing a lot of business terms at us whilst essentially telling us nothing and being blind to the raised criticism

Sock, I do agree there is a correlation between the loss of the editor's eye and translation and the rise of the 'average she's just like you but so much better' blogger. IMO it's largely tied to the rise of fast fashion and the democratisation of runway looks that are more accessible both in time and prices. It's eroded the M&Ses of yesteryear who excelled at being dependably dull and giving rise to the expectation that we're all wanting to dress 'fashionably'. Almost by definition, it's the exact opposite. Walk into any design studio of any disciplinary, and behold, they're all decked out in basics from Uniqlo and COS for a reason.

cointreau you kind if make my original point for me with the take of the BonMarche dinner. The blogger gets a great free night out, fabulous. The brand gets........lots of readers/followers raising their eyebrows in a similar fashion to your post, maybe think the "influencer" is a bit of a CF for taking the freebie and no more likely to darken the store's door and buy the products

But if the bloggers didn't go to these parties when would they wear their clothes

Seriously, in the olden days you at least felt as though the blogger had snapped an OOTD on their way to something. Now it is clear they do a professionalish shoot of 10 outfits and then post them whilst sat at home in their tracksuit bottoms.

Give me a magazine any day of the week.

Do these bloggers really wear everything that they buy?
Over the last few days, DMBL40 has bought 2 Anthropologie dresses @£168 each and yesterday was at Bicester where I think she bought a See by Chloe dress, and a Gucci scarf.
Seriously, she must be loaded?

I think Kat is pretty wealthy - I would guess she could easily be making six figures from her blog now that she is signed with Gleam.

I would bet that DMBL40 was given vouchers to spend at Bicester - I have heard of other bloggers being offered this arrangement to make the trip there and to blog/instagram about the visit. In the past DMBL40 has gone to Bicester with friends and not really said much about what she saw or bought. This time there are stories in changing rooms and lots of social media content to go alongside. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Anthropolgie dresses were also bought with store vouchers/discounts in exchange for coverage.

OMG.
How naive am I? Can somebody give me her e bay name please?

Funnily enough I remember thinking a while ago when Stories on Instagram were becoming a "thing" that I had no idea what accent Kat Farmer had as she was fairly late to the Stories party. The upscale in her Instagram output and daily Storying coincided with a similar upscale in her visits to a London and her presence at lots of press days and product/line launches. I imagine that this also coincided with her Gleam contract and a return to work after years of being a SAHM with a blogging sideline.

The woman does not need another bloody floaty dress. She must have at least fifty by now. I never see anyone IRL wearing one during the day and I live and work in a pretty trendy place. Only on Instagram.

The Gleam boss gets 20% of his clients' income....even the kids who he 'employs' earn him most of his salary :) He has a nice big house too from all this exploitation

I am sure DMBL40 is a lovely woman, but all the self deprecation and faux angst does begin to wear a little thin when you begin to realise how much money she is earning. Everything becomes little false, but I suppose that is the price to pay for what she does.

I follow some you tubers and instagrammers - some just starting out others with 5k subscribers. I get the feeling they are all sat at home on their iMacs busy blogging and attending events Such as the recent Mumsnet influencers One thinking they are doing something really revolutionary posting about their lives but I don't get it, how are they funding their lives by their freelance writing (often horrifically written). Are they really or are their funds really coming from elsewhere?

Oh dear is 'Above The Line' no longer a thing?

Yes. That’s the vibe I get from mother pukka that women wanting flexible working is a new thing only she has thought of!

flotsime I think is up there with AVEs!