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

I thought Camp Bestival went bust. One thing it does do is kill any fond thoughts of going there which is handy.

It’s an anti shopping device using these people which is actually quite good.

ANOTHER gifted coat for clts today from Jane and tash. To add to her collection of 5000 coats most of which seem to be gifted from Jane and tash and that bespoke faux fur coat brand that I forget the name
Of. They cost a fortune, id never buy one from either company now after seeing all these gifted ones. (Not that I could afford one anyway)

@MarshaBradyo 'Bestival' went into administration. Bestival is cancelled this year but 'Camp Bestival' is still going ahead this year, well at least for now. The group of instamums who are 'performing' have huge followings so there clearly is a market for them. I'm curious as to what they will all actually do though.

@flobella Thank you. Have found Instagram a lot more fun since not trying to make money from it. It becomes a completely different platform. (Aware that comes from a position of privilege though! And that I may want to use it for work again in the future when I don’t have children climbing on me)

Mn I see I don’t know it that well, tbh I’d rather do a holiday than a festival with children

I’m sure people love seeing them but equally it turns others off

MarshaBradyo - totally agree. I don't want to spend my money on the latest Insta must have. Sooner the advertisers realise how it cheapens their product, the better. Shame though, I was ready to try Sezane but won't now.

poppywiwt I followed you years ago and loved you then, have often wondered where you "went"! So pleased to now know :-) Oh and congratulations on your beautiful twins too.

Also a lot of respect due poppy for obscuring their faces. I only show mine from the back, it's just not worth it, is it?

I really get the heebie jeebies off accounts that use their kids for their business model.

@crumpetsandacuppa Thank you! They’re a lot of fun. And yes @Elspeth I do try to always obscure their faces - although granted I still seem to show their obscured faces a hell of a lot. Way more than I ever intended. A mixture of boredom mixed with immense pride? I don’t know.

I do want them to maintain some level of basic privacy (from a safeguarding point of view as much as anything else - although yes I could safeguard them much better and not show at all!) but the other reason for the sunglasses in front-on pics is they are of zero value to brands. Brands won’t repost pics like that and that makes me feel much more comfortable.

It’s depressing how many brands have openly said they can’t work with me if I don’t show the boys “properly” or feature them in videos. Generally brands have said it’s fine for me to not use their names but pics/video are a requirement - hence me realising pretty quickly this type of content wasn’t going to work despite having an engaged audience of mums who would no doubt be interested in some of the campaigns that have been on the table. That being said my numbers are VERY VERY small compared to most accounts getting paid work so I do appreciate I’m not in a position to make demands, I just have to turn down the work. And that’s fine because I’m a SAHM at the moment and my family are lucky enough to not be relying on me providing an income while I’m doing the childcare, but I can see how it would be very difficult to pick and choose campaigns if your family came to depend on the revenue.

(Should also add for all the instamums who are lurking that I’m not judging anyone else for sharing pics of their kids as long as they are transparent about the business side of things and aren’t sharing school uniform badges and so on. The appeal of working from home, being your own boss, working around family, making more money than you would in traditional employment, providing experiences and opportunities you may not otherwise be able to etc etc - I DO get it. I also appreciate that it’s not “easy” work as if it was, more people would be doing it successfully)

Poppywiwt interesting post but disagree with your last line. So many people just don’t want to use children as content for ££. And kudos to them for not doing so.

It’s a bit different to a fashion account where you put in your own work, you’re just using people who have no say in it all

@Marsha No you’re right. I more meant that there are countless lower level “wannabe” instamums and they don’t reach anywhere near the following and engagement that the big hitting accounts do so there is a skill to getting to that level despite what anyone thinks of the morals involved.

That is true there are a load of wannabes trying to climb up in numbers

As a quick think I’d say some of it has to do with luck - it helps if your dc is photogenic so not really skill as such, location helps -beach or snow is good I reckon, multiples seem to help

Taking the best looking shots does help too however, I did look at the husband of a Colorado family and he could be a different family in terms of the types of shots he chose v the money making account. His looks like a very ordinary family v something that looks like a daily Christmas card.

So ethics and avoiding it altogether aside I see what you’re saying

poppywiwt - really, really interesting to hear from you about the other side of the 'gram. You are not on my radar as we are opposite ends of the parenting timeline. (Enjoy it, it's really the best fun ever.) So good to hear about people like you and Avril from A Life To Style who acknowledge that you have been forced to choose between your children's privacy and a lucrative moneyspinner. I bet your children will thank you for your choice.

....... really got me wondering just how much control the advertisers have. I am imagining a sliding scale with £x for a full face, £y for siblings and £z for twins/triplets. Really does show just how "knowing" these parents are, nothing cute, naive or innocent - just a hard-nosed business deal.

It’s interesting how Alison Perry has previously taken quite a strong stance on not showing her daughter’s face but has now featured the twins in at least two paid partnerships and is getting her husband in on the act too (he seems like a nice bloke though, hope he doesn’t go down the hapless dad route, he looks far too competent for that so far).

Hmm, I wasn't impressed with Alison Perry today on her stories. All the 'this isn't an ad, though I did a paid partnership with them earlier this year, blah blah, is anyone else getting bored with this yet?'.

Another one unfollowed. My list is thinning out nicely.

(actually it might have been yesterday's stories as just checked and it's not showing now. Either that or she's deleted it. Too late for me though.)

Same here, I unfollowed her recently for the same reason. It's a shame as my daughter is the same age as her twins and it was good to follow someone going through similar experiences.

I unfollowed AP and Clemmie Telford for the same paid partnership where their babies were dressed as spot the dog. It was so contrived and carefully posed and the fact that they received payment was a step too far for me.

She’s AD AD AD at the moment. You can tell her maternity leave/fourth trimester is over. I don’t know why the husbands have to get in on the act though as well. Is it an ego thing or just another way to sell?

So Kat Farmer is now doing an ad for "aesthetic procedures" which involves followers being encouraged to ask questions to demystify, remove taboos, and empower women () to talk about these types of procedures. Cue lots of people (well I say lots, the engagement is pretty crap on the post) talking about botox. Two thoughts: 1) how can someone be paid to advertise aesthetic procedures and then also anti ageing face creams with any credibility and 2) advertising botox is specifically prohibited, including indirect promotion of it, as it is a prescription only product - so is this ethical? I feel like Kat would advertise any old shit nowadays tbh.

........ and Katie Price is using her kids to flog breakfast cereals. Oh, Insta, what a classy, classy place you are!

.... but look. Someone who can actually write, someone who isn't trying to flog a load of crap. Someone who doesn't use her daughters to flog a load of crap. Someone who actually empowers women rather than patronises them for the next sale. Insta when it works and isn't just about the next sale.

Alice is fabulous. One of my absolute faves. There’s nothing fake about her, she’s opinionated and true to herself.

and, again, really liking Sali Hughes' use of compliance to volunteer that she has paid for her new bathroom. Honesty and not treating your followers likes mugs is key. No one minds Instagram and advertising - it's dishonesty that pisses people off and makes it impossible to sit in your own kitchen

Had a look around the Alice account, the choose a (fake) life post was a good one

Hi! Sorry for not reading the full thread by thought this place would be the best to get an answer..... where has thehomethatmademe disappeared to off Instagram?!
Anybody know or follow her? I quit instamums a little while ago (largely to issues raised on these threads - I didn't realise how much their influencing was having a negative affect on my life) but wanted to find a photo of her painted kitchen and gone!