Influencer Advice:
Snake-Oil Salesmen of the 21st Century
I’m sure that we have all heard once or twice that we see around 10,000 adverts per day. Although this has been proven categorically untrue by many trusted sources, if you try to search for more accurate figure, there isn’t really a general consensus for how many adverts the average person sees in one day. There’s unfortunately only one reason for this phenomenon - the majority of adverts we see now are peripheral.
I’m sure that whenever you’re interrupted by an unskippable advert on Youtube, you zone out and wait the 5 to 30 seconds until you can skip the ad. I know for one that I don’t pay any attention to such traditional adverts anymore. In fact, for me personally, I see them more as a nuisance and am actually dissuaded from buying that certain product. But advertisers know this; advertisers have understood this for many years now. And coinciding with the new age of grassroots digital influencers over the last handful of decades, it’s only logical that advertising agencies utilise influencers as a marketing strategy. This is not an unfamiliar or new concept. There are already many preconceived notions to what an influencer looks like while attempting to sell you something. Maybe you imagine a person filming themselves endorsing a product from a prewritten script, as would be the most basic idea of influencer marketing. But unfortunately, this stereotype can be and is subverted. The world of influencer advertisement is rapidly changing, and is surprisingly treacherous. And unfortunately, the only real loser here is the consumer: in other words, you!
One example of poorly disclosed marketing is in the fitness / lifestyle sector. This genre on sites like TikTok is not necessarily all made with poor intentions. Some creators make content purely for the purpose of helping other people live healthier, more active lifestyles. This can be either by advising others on gym regimen or correctly structured diets. It can be a great place to start for those who may be without extensive knowledge into this kind of field. However, this is often taken advantage of by immoral ‘snake-oil-salesmen’-like influencers. Because newcomers don’t have a wide range of knowledge on the topic, this specific group often use scummy tactics to market products while preying on consumers lack of knowledge. The typical script of one of these videos alleges that you as a consumer shouldn’t put this brand or product into your body, often using hyper-sensationalised terms like ‘poison’ to fear-monger. They then finally provide a much ‘healthier’, ‘cleaner’ alternative, which they conveniently have a discount code for in their bio. It’s no surprise that this is a sly form of marketing, and in some extreme cases, highly illegal. The influencer often has a form of personal investment in the company or is receiving a selection of profit from the use of the code. Legally, influencers must disclose that they are obviously performing an endorsement of a good or service. Vague terms like “thanks to…” or “collab” are not enough to qualify and subsequently face fines and the threat of the video being taken down. However, these types of influencers manage to go under the radar, as the video manages to blend into similar unsponsored lifestyle content.
This style of scam marketing is not isolated in the wellbeing sector. We can also see the charade under other pretences such as in the popular online “manosphere”. There is a subsection of the internet focused on hypermasculinity, usually including misogyny and homophobia alongside under the guise of a return to traditional, nuclear Christian values. These “manfluencers” flaunt their apparent success in areas such as stocks or attracting women. They serve as idols for their consumers, pinnacles of their perceived masculine values. And they understand that; they use that to their advantage in order to pedal dangerous rhetoric of their personal biases, and more relevantly, to sell goods. Whether this be special “hypermasculine” supplements (of which they split the profit from), or personal training on how to live the best traditionally masculine life, the “manfluencers” use the same playbook as the aforementioned scam influencers. They prey on insecurities and fearmonger their viewers into purchasing goods that they have personal stakes in.
Understanding the full ramifications is quite frightening. Content that we and many others consume on a regular basis could be a marketing ploy to get you to purchase goods or services without even realising. Advertising is suddenly taking a hard shift into the subliminal, and is making myself, for one, consider: how many adverts do I see every day? And am I being advertised to without even realising?
Edward Hancox
Decoding The Manosphere - by Bradley Andrews - Prolix
Joyful influencer holding giveaway for viewers offering gift | Free Photo
