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 came to follow CLTS, DMBL40 and Anna after hearing them mentioned on Mumsnet. Ironically I have now unfollowed them as a result of the way they have responded to this thread - tarring everybody with one brush because they dislike some isolated comments.

I found Anna's article interesting in the way she tried to explain coming to be in the position she now is, having just started blogging as a hobby and not as a commercial enterprise, which I appreciate was the case with many of the earlier bloggers. I can accept that, but now that the disclosure issue has been very clearly flagged up, they would be wise to take heed of it if they want to have any longevity. Brands will only continue to partner up with them if there is a financial gain. And by alienating many readers who have disposable cash to click through and buy things, they may well start to see their income dwindle. But hey, that's ok, because they were never in it for the money anyway...

I'm also sick of the bad attitude that often crops up on IG, whether in response to comments or in Stories. C Hirons was ranting last week about nasty comments being made on her friends' feeds. Her response? To stick two fingers up to the person making an offending comment. So that's another unfollow from me. How about taking the higher ground instead of descending to the same level?

Hirons is incredibly aggressive - I unfollowed her ages ago too.

Also agree that people like us - have money to spend. If a blogger is funny and transparent and I like their style I have no problem whatsoever in using their affiliate links.

But it has made me re-think where I buy from. I like a nice bag but am now totally put off anything by chloe or bulgari for example as they have so overdone on SM.

One person I do like is laura - buynowbloglater who is very honest and has lovely taste. However she doesn't really blog anymore so I just follow her on twitter and insta.

I'd be interested in a 'brand watch' thread. Every time I think we've said everything there is to say about bloggers they go and prove me wrong but nevertheless I still think they're the little people in this game. I'm more interested in how the brands are infesting social media and (if we can talk about this without getting into hot water) whether or how they're infiltrating these boards too.

This has been such a interesting thread.

It's made me unfollow a few
Realised Insta does get me down.
On blog posts it's always other bloggers
On Insta it's all phycho followers attacking anyone who questions the blogger.
All the outfits and events become so samey after a while.
Not getting much enjoyment from bloggers or vloggers these days.

I suspect channel mum gift their mummy vloggets gift cards which why they all doing the same brand hauls at the same time.
Even vlogmas is doing my head in.

Mrs meldrum paid work for charity pampers midwife then getting arsey when people commented negatively so she told them all to bore Off and deleted the comments which just left the pycho fans.
Also the comment about fake trees been awaful but tactless not everyone can afford her grand Xmas.
I think they live in bubble they may start off normal but fame has changed them
Vlogger and bloggers come across materialistic.
The phycho fan comment just creates an echo chamber so they never consider or care who they annoy.
Even the might mumsnetters.

Would love to know how many have un followed last few weeks as some responses were vile and not supportive of women.

Also why drag breastfeeding into it
Never heard of Anna and not keen from looking at her blog post and Insta.
One thing I did pickup from her blog is maybe all the bloggers at events are not true freinds maybe they are competative and bitchy.

I think comes back to at end of day we don't want to be mislead,patronized we just want transparency.

This seems to have been forgotten already.

Nothing will change until law says they have to.

They seem to take their followers for granted.

I still think the brands really have to take better ownership of this. Using bloggers who say they have 'full editorial control' over the posts they make enables the brands to wash their hands of promotions that would have been canned if a proper advertising agency had come up with them. There was an IG post last week (I think it was tagged as an ad but it was pretty blatant even if it wasn't) where someone was advertising razor blades with a picture of toddlers watching their mum shave their legs and saying that the toddlers were getting interested in the razor blades. I can't see any advertising agency getting the thumbs up for that one! Using bloggers is just another way for the brands to push the boundaries on what is acceptable in terms of advertising.

The blogger was quite well meaning in what she posted but its just one person, producing a pretty picture and content for their IG, rather than an experienced team in an advertising agency coming up with concepts and deciding what is the best fit for the brand and meets advertising guidelines.

Another vote for another thread. This has been a fascinating thread and the links to some of the blog posts have been very interesting as well, we're all talking about the brands but the affiliate agencies muddy the waters as well. Inclined to agree with the comments that the bloggers are the little people in this and legislation needs to be aimed at the big players.

And also the comments that we here on this forum are the people buying the clothes the blogs are advertising, I bought seven pairs of shoes this year (more than most people own FFS) and three of them were as a result of seeing the shoes on a blog (new years resolution: stop reading enbrogue ). Most of my RL friends read no fashion blogs.

Chloe loves to shop has been talking about gifting today on her Stories. She comes across as very naive and unsavvy. She might not care if items are gifted, but I think she needs to wise up. None of this is about her own personal likes and dislikes, but about transparency and influence. She actually made me quite cross in a way I haven't felt about this issue before.

SirSIdney - I don't really count her as a professional; it's not just the writing and the intermittent posting - her entire approach is a hobbyist trying to justify her excessive spending habit rather than as a professional, and that's why she doesn't care. It's extremely arrogant.

Style blogs are a bit shit though, aren't they
All women standing knock kneed in over buckled boots and stuff

Why even bother to read

SirSidney I completely agree with you, I felt cross and appalled listening to it and I usually really like her.

CHloe loves to shop has let herself down again. First the knobs comment with no apology, blocking people who called her out on it and now this!

I notice that more than a couple of bloggers are suddenly wearing Grenson boots at the moment, but no one is labelling them as gifted. Bit suss if you ask me.

Also, DMBL40 has already given up putting outfit details in some of her IG posts. In the main body of the post she says the details are in the comments but they aren't. Too hard, I guess.

Chloe loves to shop....Her insta story.🙈

She might not care if something is gifted or paid for..But we Bloody well do.

do you have to be a follower to see insta stories?

No Austen.. Anyone can see them.

Anna Harte has also posted hints for "influencers" doing travel stuff.

Actually it's hints for the people they are trying to blag from; how you really need to accommodate the blogger for a two night stay so they can get photos in the right light and how you should allow them to bring another person as that person is there to take the photos. Also if they're not happy then don't expect any sort of a review.

It's seems to be a trend towards vastly inflated ideas of their own importance as opposed to people peddling any old shite to get free stuff.

I was disappointed with CLTS as well. Of course she doesn’t care if something has been gifted; she has been gifted the bloody thing! Yes, I get the “if you like it you will buy it regardless” argument, but that doesn’t hold sway with me.

I really care, as it is my hard-earned money that I am spending, and I want to have the insight in knowing that she (or whomever) have themselves spent their hard-earned money on something.

Truthfully, I am less likely to buy something that has been gifted than if the blogger has bought it themselves, especially if they haven’t been transparent.

I found that Anna Hart travel blog/blag breathtakingly arrogant.

Also surprised to see no ad/promotion credits on the dress like a Mum posts. Surely she doesn’t like M&S that much that she wears them every day?

@Ithasbeenalongtime She's done a lot of Topshop stuff recently, too. Might well not be an ad / paid partnership but the whole #topshoplikeamum thing got me wondering.

Just read that Anna Hart blog.🙈

@threehoursin Yep, loadsa Topshop as well. I saw another blogger (can't remember their name now) actually have an IG post labelled at the top as a 'paid partnership with Topshop' and then Topshop had put a gushing comment in the comments section saying something like 'oooh we love your style, can we feature it on our page?'. I thought, well you paid for it so you can do whatever the hell you want to do with it . FFS though, they really do think we are thick....

M&S featured the DLAM posts on their own page which makes me even more that they are not disclosed as ads/paid promotions. M&S don't exactly have a great track record with transparency though, based on other bloggers who have only recently revealed their love for M&S is at least partly due to them having monthly paid collaborations with M&S and not just a passion for Per Una handkerchief hems.

Thanks for flagging up the CLTS story. Quote of the day: "I'm really honest. If asked I'll tell you if something is gifted."

Totally missing the point that the issue is one of transparency not honesty. Nobody is saying she's dishonest but the discerning reader would like to know the full picture. It's of no consequence that she declines many gifts. OK so she only accepts gifts that fit with her style, but the average person has a budget and has to choose between the numerous things they like which to splash their money on rather than buying everything that takes their fancy. Yeah it would be lovely to have seven cashmere jumpers but if I can only afford one, which is the best buy?