Instagrammers and Influencers

[scotx]

New thread to follow on from this one

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/3462129-Can-we-chat-about-fashion-Instagrammers-influencers?msgid=84590932

For me, the biggest difference between ‘grammers & magazines is that: grammers grew from blogging & blogs were historically generally perceived to be genuine personal recommendations, unafraid to say when something was a bit crap (always remember DMBL40’s quest for boyfriend jeans which was brutally honest & funny AF). Magazines, however, have always been viewed with a level of scepticism because we all know that brands send them freebies to try.

In addition, all this “supporting small business” crap is total BS. If they truly supported small business they would be paying for the products rather than touting for freebies/discounts. Furthermore, if they are insulted& incensed at having to declare a gift, they should think carefully about the profit that the small business has lost in giving the discount/freebie without any guarantee of compensation via further sales.

I do believe that flooding Influencer Central (DMBL40, Fashion Lift, CLTS, StyleMum...the ones that are omnipresent at launches & lunches) can be hugely detrimental to small brands & big brands alike. I can’t be the only eye-rolling follower when, one-by-one, they feature the same product/night out/hotel stay. Those bloody awful Grenson hiking boots are a perfect example!

An influencer I follow (to see if she adheres to the new regulations) is now stating that certain clothes are ‘gifts’. She collaborated with M&S, surely this is advertising not simply wearing ‘gifts’????

She annoys me so much because I feel duped by her for so long. Obviously she could say I was stupid not to realise it but even now she is saying ‘gifted’. Would it be petty to report her? How do I report her?

Isn’t Liketoknowit an affiliate programme? There are still blatant uses of that with no mention of #aff

I’ve always refused to click on principle because I think it looks shady

@splatpancake anytime I see likeittoknowit minus the #affiliate hashtag, I screenshot and report it There are good influencers following the rules, and if the CMA needs to nudge the rest into a level playing field, so be it.

I think I have a certain amount of trust for Sali Hughes as someone who stays within her area. Yes, I am sure she is sent loads of stuff, and, yes, I think she should declare it, but her professional reputation depends on her being objective in her reviews, certainly in the Guardian, and I too have seen some very honest reviews about things she doesn't rate.

The Grenson boots are everywhere, they cannot possibly have sent out so many as gifts, and if they did then they have created a huge demand for something they cannot deliver. Also they are not hash tagged as gift by DMBL40 and she's good at disclosing, so they would have been bought.

I really wanted a pair, but they are not in stock, and seeing it on every influencer and not being able to buy really puts me off them.

PC the sending out of press samples is just simple PR - there is no guarantee of any coverage from it. In my mind that's where the influencer gifts lie, which I realise is contrary to what the ASA wants in terms of disclosure. In terms of traditional media, if BBC Breakfast ran an item on best fake tans for summer, it would be the exact same - just that the BBC is not funded by advertising. I also like Sali Hughes, btw, and think that she generally behaves with integrity.

Chardonnay I think the Grenson boot thing was sparked by Holly W wearing them in I'm a Celebrity. I'm sure I remember DMBL40 buying hers last winter (2017), and her tracking them down from some obscure website.

If you see fake tan on a roundup you know it’s been sent to the show by the brand

This information has been missing, now people know

I didn’t follow DMBL40 and long ago as 2017 but I did think they were bought because she didn’t tag them as gift and because she’s good at disclosing. So she is a example that it can be done and that followers trust someone who uses clean tags.

Clear tags, though I suppose they can be seen as clean in a way.

I'm not convinced that all influencers (even the previously fairly transparent ones) disclosed all discount and voucher purchases every time they were provided to them.

Can someone advise who I can report an influencer to if their posts are not clearly marked as ads?

I wouldn't bother with ASA if it relates to just gifts as they won't do anything about it. CMA are still asking for consumer views but I suspect they are being inundated at the moment..

chardonnay I ditched her after the cruise at the end of last year - I'd followed her blog and Insta for years before then, but I became turned off by the sheer volume of freebies and she had to go!

wouldyoulikeabagwiththat well if I was a dishonest influencer, I think I'd be tempted to disclose some of my gifts and stuff just so it looked like I was complying (compared to before, anyway). Not sure how anyone would be able to tell, especially if the things disclosed were the ones other influencers also got, like the Grenson boots. And it's things like this which will contribute to the loss of trust in the influencers - how can anyone ever know they're disclosing EVERYTHING they should? - and they'll never be able to get it back. Hopefully this means the gravy train will soon be over.

I don't think it is intentionally dishonest (least I hope not), but rather they were aware that paid and outright gifts should be disclosed and so did that. Discounts and vouchers may not have been considered part of the need for transparent disclosure, but we now know they should be disclosed too.

Irish influencers flouting the rules

m.independent.ie/irish-news/dozens-of-complaints-made-against-influencers-for-flouting-advert-rules-37794888.html

I see DLAM's interest in being fully transparent didn't last long.

@wouldyoulikeabagwiththat - it has been interesting to see how some of the influencers have dealt with this interest in their advertising business. I think I would have been tempted to have a mea culpa, put my house in order and move on strategy. Some of them have been positively surly and can surely only be digging ever deeper holes by just ignoring what everyone knows to be the case.

Received a response from ASA regarding several complaints I made on influencers and specifically the programme likeittoknowit - it needs to be hashtagged affiliate. “We have explained your concerns to the advertisers and provided guidance to them on the areas that require attention, together with advice on how to ensure that their advertising complies with the Codes.” So that clears that up then!

@ThreeFourFive DLAM adopted with no fuss to start with and then has slipped back into old ways with an undisclosed freebie cinema trip/Lego movie promo and several grid squares featuring gifted items/brands she has worked with before going undisclosed. She said this when the guidance was first issued: There are new ASA/ CAP guidelines so when things are sent as gifts or if I have borrowed something to photograph I will be marking them as ADs. I think that this is better as I agree with transparency, I just hope it’s not boring to read and you actually want to know

@NotTheQueen, interesting. I think ASA are so overwhelmed with complaints at the moment that they aren't even reporting them on their weekly rulings list, which is also a bit crap really. Some of the influencers don't seem to give a toss what they say. If they don't start being more effective a regulator, I can see CMA may give them their own kick up the ass. The CMA doesn't like weak industry run regulators.

The trip to Lego was pretty obviously a freebie though. Do they really have to tag that?

Yes, it was a promotion for the lego movie which wasn't out at the time so it was an AD - it looks like only bloggers and press were invited. It wasn't obviously a freebie unless you keep track of movie release dates (which I don't), just looked like a nice photo after a family trip to the cinema. It was only apparent it was because someone commented asking whether it was out yet as they were obviously confused how she had managed to see it before general release. Other bloggers marked it as an AD.

From Emma Hill

emmajhill.com/how-i-feel-about-these-new-guidelines/

Oh my, what a blog. Emma can write, she's funny, full of integrity, her hair is cool and she makes me want to buy some RayBans.

I think I have a crush