Bloggers and brands 2.

[Merriboo]

continuing the discussion from the previous thread about transparency and disclosure (or lack of) by bloggers

I’m really interested if these people have a genuine impact on sales for these brands. I remember before Christmas M&S had a dress they were trying to get everyone to buy. It had stars on it or planets. There was a story in the Mail about it being SO popular you couldn’t get it. Although there were loads in M&S because it was a bit blah.. Then MOD did an insta story about going out for a meal with FOD in her M&S planet/star dress that was so hard to get. And still there were loads in the shops. I don’t dislike any of these people I just don’t think they would convince me to buy anything.
I really like Esther Walker because she is just so honest and doesn’t seem to give a crap. Giles Coren seems to have some pasta thing he is trying to flog and there was a picture of Esther with pasta poised about to eat a massive plateful. But I’m fairly sure she hasn’t eaten a carb since 2001 at least.
I don’t know if this stuff works with people. M&S in particular are great at getting it wrong.

I stopped following everyone but CH because they're all fake, dishonest and greedy.
Recently I've also stopped buying from brands who throw stuff at these morally bankrupt free loaders.
Annoyingly that now means no more Jo Malone.
CH has stayed relatively true to her USP. Although she does soft sell a bit now as long as not too many "By the way this is an m&s jumper" I don't mind.
Bella Freud jumpers have become an embarrassment. Ffs how many has SH got ( never *gifts them ) though BF is tagged and likes her posts 😯 being cynical here I admit.

That's the same CH who piled into the 'Mumsnetters - they're just jealous bitches' and other choice names affray here and on Instagram over the past year or so? The same CH who was the inspiration for one of the original threads innocently asking about transparency and gifting?

Rosie

I am busty - 30GG. I belong to a family of very busty women.

Laura has an amazing figure, her outfits are brilliant. I find her pretty inspiring fashion wise.

If she thinks she is a 34DD, she is wearing the wrong bra size unless her photos are heavily edited. I do not see a busty woman.

My point is, I cannot dress like her at all. Not a hope I can wear a bikini or those lovely willowy dresses and strapless tops she brings out in the summer.

Ditto Petra, the bikini shots show she has a figure that is not really curvy.

The body shape issue presented body shapes that are not shapes at all.

No wonder I feel like crap about my boobs and often think I need a reduction by the labelling of those body shapes.

Pappawasarollingbone measuring of the impact is really difficult since it is not necessarily just sales right then, but part building brand, getting people to visit their site, staying on the top of people's minds etc. It's the same for daily mail though, the brand's PR company is asking the journo (who is probably a freelancer) to write a piece featuring the brand, so that's how you see it. The whole thing is very murky.

I wear a 32D (after an intervention from a lovely lady at M&S who stopped my buying my usual 34C) so not a million miles away from LF, and I would say I look a similar size. I wouldn't ever describe myself as busty. My mum is busty, I know what busty looks like and it isn't a 32D or even a 34DD. Same as the girl with "big feet". I wear a 7 and the average woman's size is now 6 (it was probably a 4/5 when I was growing up). As a teenage girl, if someone told me my size 7 feet were too big and I shouldn't wear pointy shoes to make my feet look smaller, that would be crushing and I think I would always be conscious of it. Now at least I can just laugh at how absurd the suggestions are. I actually still can't get over that "BIG FEET" thing. Its ridiculous.

Splat. Omg I didn't know about all that.
Well that's me all done then!
Thanks for filling me in.

That article was too focused on disguising your natural shape and instead dressing in a way that fits their norm of beauty - small bust, dainty feet, long legs, little bum, dainty wrists.

Hi, in a bit of a rush but didn’t want anyone to think I’d wimped out of coming back! 💪🏻 Thanks for all your responses (particularly the polite thoughtful ones- which was mostly everyone 😁). It’s been very interesting and I think I get a bit more about what the thread is about. I have probably been caught out in the gifting thing once, on reflection, and I’m quite a cyclical old bird! Transparency must be the way forward, totally agree.

Cynical not cyclical and my happy face looks angry- it should be

I think most bloggers/influencers have no regard or respect for their followers - we’re just a commodity they can make money from. Annili Bush is showing off her ‘high street haul’ on Instastories now with a swipe up for details. The first outfit links to Next - obviously an affiliate link where she’ll get a commission for any sales. Didn’t check any of the other outfits.

No mention of whether she’s been gifted the clothes or actually bought them to keep or just try on and return. You can be pretty certain though that she probably won’t be seen on any of the outfits again. But so what, as long as she generates an income.

I think Anneli Bush is one of the worst offenders. I unfollowed her. Take that!

Lkjem, I wouldn’t discount all her knowledge, and the fact that she did update her disclaimer policy after the furore (whilst still furiously denying any conflict of interest / affiliations)

...Posted too soon...

But it’s wise just to take EVERYTHING with a giant pinch of cynicism...

I just love the hypocrisy of retailers, Jigsaw, for example who pledge ".....Our products are reduced by nothing because they stand for something." Yes, they do - they stand for expecting muppets like us to subsidise this adulation of influencers. I thought the High Street was supposed to be finding it tough these days and yet they are willing to alienate their customers like this. Also inescapable is the gushing of influencers over the gifters/affiliates. You scratch my back......... and the muppets will pay.

Rosie

Also I'm a middle aged woman with balls of steel in Work.

How do we think an 17 year old sees that when looking at online fashion articles

Hope I wasn't rude Rosie It has been known I do feel strongly about this - not so much about bloggers/grammers any more, I'm over that mostly - but I think the internet is a fantastic invention and that we're in danger of losing it to corporate PR.

I don't think I was particularly polite (sorry) but I have been reading blogs for about 8 years and been cynical about the way they were going for about 5 of those. It's probably a reaction to previous experiences of posting a discussion-based comment on various forums re: how it's wrong to phrase disclosures in a wishy-washy, unclear way, then being told I was being bitchy, jealous (that's the WORST, I earn my own money ta) and should just stop reading. It's like... I don't know, expressing concern about the influence of a misogynistic film and being told "Don't watch it then".

GLTS posted on her insta stories the Taylor swift song.... hater gonna hate, I mean honestly! And we are supposed to be the childish moronic ones

Have to say though that ED is doing really really well in my eyes at branching out into other areas and not following what everyone is doing. Her interior stories and reviews on books is fab, especially promoting small companies. Well done ED

Agree about ED, she's very refreshing and honest.

True, nice promo for that hotel in her stories!

Let's not forget that the majority of these IGers are now doing this for a living. And well done to them for making it work - plenty of us would kill to do a job that we love, be our own boss, work from home and have more time to spend with our families. But despite that, many of them don't respond to comments and questions in a professional manner.

I kind of see it as akin to getting an appraisal from a boss at work or a complaint or feedback from a customer. Some of the comments will be justified and constructive, some of them won't be. But if you want to do well and keep your boss / customer happy, you'd be well advised to give every comment some thought and reflect on whether change is needed. Imagine instead just replying that the person concerned is a jealous hater.

Some of these ladies don't seem to realise that if they want to make a lasting career out of this, they should treat it a bit more professionally.

So well done to those who respond politely and professionally to comments, rather than taking the easy route of inciting their baying mob of followers to launch a tirade of abuse.

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I do actively avoid brands represented by rude and childish "influencers" and those who send vast amounts of freebies.

Credit to you for wading through the stories to see that, @Pleasesendwine. I find most of them mindnumbingly dull. I quite like DMBL's stories, but most of the rest of them are pretty tedious. I feel like bloggers are doing more and more on stories, which I generally don't think is a good thing from the whole transparency perspective. There is even less accountability, as they disappear from view after a short period, and also it doesn't look like any comments are visible to other people. Because of their format its also harder to add any succinct text about gifts etc, so most of them seem not to bother. Its also very easy to post affiliate links on there via the swipe up thing, so it must be a super easy way to get your cookies onto people's computers and then just sit back and wait for the orders to roll in.