False Advertising?

Have you ever been watching something and noticed that something seemed a bit…off? Something as seemingly innocent as the main character drinking a beer at a bar, but you notice that the label is a little too nicely lit…that label is a little too noticeable? This character may have gone to this bar in every episode for 3 seasons, has been ordering or been handed a beer every single time, but up until now you never knew the exact brand they were drinking. Now all of a sudden you can clearly see the Bud Light logo and the character even mentions the brand by name in passing several times in the scene. What’s your first thought? If you’re anything like me it’s usually “Wonder how much they paid for that?” As marketers and strategic communicators we typically are responsible for promoting our organizations (be it a client, brand, etc.) How we go about doing this though is a big topic for discussion, especially in today’s “viral” happy market. Everybody is looking for the next big thing…that next big marketing strategy that’s going to make your brand/client stand out, that will appeal to consumers based off authentic acts and likeability. But how do we get there without abusing that inherent trust from the public? And as consumers ourselves should we be a bit more cynical about what we see in our newsfeeds and TV screens when it comes to advertising?

If you have a tweenager (yes that’s a legitimate term) or are like me, and sometimes enjoy reveling in seeing “what the kids are up to,” you may have heard the term “Youtuber.” I’ve mentioned them briefly before here on the blog (shoutout to Caroline Hirons.) The typical Youtuber is usually aged between 18-32 years of age. They make videos for a living and post them to YouTube. Thus the name “youtuber.” Most of these creators have been doing this for almost a decade. The idea of having a channel and posting regular videos first became popular in 2009, with a lot of popular bloggers taking to the platform and utilizing it as an extension of their blogs. Now roughly 80% of Internet users in the US access YouTube in some capacity each year (The Demographics of YouTube.) There are all kinds of categories to choose from to watch: music and news, beauty and lifestyle, gaming and hunting. All types of channels are present on the platform making sure to appeal to just about everyone. Brands and other organizations didn’t turn a blind eye to this. Rather than just inserting ads before certain videos, much like TV ad buys, they saw an opportunity. These channels rack up million and millions of views monthly.  The audience for each channel listens and values what the creator of that channel has to say. And so advertisers started paying them to promote certain products and as the old saying goes “it all hit the fan.”

We all know about product placement (see my beer example from earlier.) Product placement is defined as a “combination of advertising and publicity designed to influence the audience by unobtrusively inserting branded products in entertainment programs such that the view is unlikely to be aware of the persuasive intent” (When Product Placement goes Wrong.)  While TV shows like Seinfeld and Frasier experimented with different methods of product placement in the 1990s, YouTube has taken it to an entirely different level in the 2010s.  Youtubers are appealing for both audiences and marketers because they are authentic. These people don’t have agents or people telling them want to say. There are no directors or script writers. It’s usually just some person in their bedroom showing you the latest clothes purchase they made or showing you how to cheat this certain level of a video game.  Brands were quick to understand that buy sending these content creators certain products to try they would likely get that product exposed to a wider audience for much less expense. It was a much bigger bang for their buck, if you will. Cue the FTC. In 2014 they made it clear that content creators could be in violation of FTC laws if they failed to disclose that they were solicited by brands to promote products (Youtubers in breach of FTC if they fail to disclose sponsorships.) This has made Youtubers now be required to put #ad, or the ever dreaded #spon, on just about every video they make now. There are some people who think this is good and others who think this is ridiculously out of line. Most days if you scroll through the trending page of YouTube, a little over half will have the dreaded #ad. A lot of advertisers and creators alike think this is “a move that could make the posts seem less authentic, reducing their impact” (FTC to crack down on paid celebrity posts.) 

This leads me back to my ethical dilemma I stated earlier…is this an abuse of the public’s trust or should we have been expecting this all along? In Your Ad Here, the author talks about the inherent untrustworthiness types of marketing like this without really saying it. “It cannot be denied that requiring disclosure introduces an element of awkwardness – a stilted sponsorship caveat – into everyday interaction.”  The jury is still out on how much this has effected Youtubers and their ability to be authentic marketers to their audiences. Some Youtubers have been outspoken that if they work with a brand it’s because they genuinely like them not just because they’re getting paid. But that grey area continues to get hazier. As strategic communicators we have to be willing to see both sides of the coin. Both points of view of both the consumer and the organization are valid but bringing both points together in an ethical, non-misleading way is key. Strategic communicators are already fighting off the PR “spin doctor” role and the new means and ways of marketing and product placement only make it that much trickier to navigate.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s post! I enjoyed writing it! Hopefully I will see you guys back here next Sunday! Have a great week!