Fyre vs Hulu: are you #sponsored?
Since Fyre Festival has become a hot topic and Hulu has responded with such a clap-back campaign for their new sports streaming service, so has the issue with influencers not disclosing when they’re getting paid for posts.
Influencers have to make a living too, but often forget to add #sponsored or #ad to their paid posts, even though according to the FTC, it’s a major guideline that can get influencers in major trouble.
Over the past couple of years many bloggers and influencers have been taken to court in regards to not being truthful on when they’re paid or not. It’s a huge issue that more brands and companies need to be cracking down on more. Just like in Fyre, they paid for so many large celebrities and influencers to fly out for their promo video, yet not one disclosed they were being paid and that the whole trip was compensated for.
The FTC continues to crack down on influencers and tell brands the right format they should be requiring. If influencers disclose #sponsored, most of the time they add it at the end but they’re supposed to disclose it as the first word in each caption.
Now, how to we as consumers spot them? What's authentic and what's not?
You can typically tell an influencer is getting paid for a post when it’s pretty product-heavy and the caption revolves around the product and/or a discount code. Many times if they’re sharing a hair product or such and it sticks out from their feed, they’re more than likely getting paid for it.
With the influencer world rising, and many brands jumping onto the bandwagon, everyone needs to comply to government rules. While adding #ad or #sponsored may seem not organic, it does show that an influencer is getting paid and that the brand is sponsoring them. I think both sides get worried that people will get annoyed that they’re paid to share something but it could actually start being a good thing if more people realized that it’s part of an influencers job and they also most likely only take on paid posts with products they actually like.
What's your #sponsor experience?
Tell us your thoughts on #sponsored posts and advertisements below!
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