Influencer Marketing is Bullsh!t

Don't hate the player, hate the game

“Arnold” on Netflix, Part 2 “Actor,” ~19min

It's the Schmäh. It's the Schmäh, right there. Everything's bullshit.
To sell things, you have to have the Schmäh.
The only way I could translate it, really, is like "bullshit," right?
When you go out and promote a movie, 'The pump is better than coming.' It's all the Schmäh.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and I have a lot in common.

We both got into fitness from a young age, we're both disciplined, and we both think influencer marketing is bullshit. Sadly we don't both have multi-million dollar homes.

With minimal exceptions - like American football and Non-American football - where the prize money is embarrassing to even dream about, more often than not, running around a field, regardless of how fast you do it, doesn't pay well.

Throughout his career, Usain Bolt won 8 Olympic medals and made a measly $1 million from his salary and winnings. On the other hand, brand endorsements made him 30 times that amount, and continue to do so long after his retirement. That's $30 million, 97% of his earnings, from endorsements alone.

According to Business Insider, LeBron James made 61% of his earnings from endorsements, Roger Federer made 84% of his earnings from endorsements, Tiger Woods 97%, and Novak Djokovic 94% - you get the point.

Brand deals, endorsements, sponsorships, ads, social media mentions etc. - that's when the real monopoly money starts to reel in.

Yes, you make money doing “the thing” that brings you influence, but selling your influence is much more lucrative.

And this is where the water starts to get murky...

(Most) Often the person selling you the thing doesn't *really* use the thing, doesn't like the thing, or doesn't even fully know what the thing does, but the financial incentive outweighs any reservation about the product itself.

There are too many examples to count, but here's a few of my favorites:

• Gwyneth Paltrow and her $135 jade egg for vaginal health she got fined for;

• Kim Kardashian and the crypto scam she promoted and got fined for;

• George Clooney admitting not drinking Nespresso, even though he's been their global ambassador for 18 years;

• Kendall Jenner solving racism with a can of Pepsi;

• Robert De Niro and his AirBnB ad, despite previously openly criticizing the company for its impact on the housing market.

(If you have a few minutes on your hands I invite you to Google "Kim Kardashian promotion backlash" for a laundry list of ads she's been fined for. It's the gift that keeps on giving, partly because she clearly hasn't learned her lesson, partly because she clearly doesn't care to.)

And you could be thinking, "Bianca you sound bitter. Don't hate the player, hate the game!" I actually don't hate either. But my goal with this writing is to go beyond looking AT marketing and start looking INTO marketing.

For the most part, the consumer naturally understands and is willing to play along with the charade.

You can watch 20 ads with Robert De Niro's face right there next to the AirBnB logo, but you still intrinsically know it's an act, he's reading off a script and Robert (or Roby, as I like to call him) doesn't sit on his laptop looking for the best comfortable, yet affordable, AirBnB accommodation for his next getaway to Ibiza - he stays in castles.

However, thanks to our deeply embedded authority bias and need for social belonging, many of us feel pressured to emulate the lifestyles and purchase the products promoted by the influencers we follow. Yes, even you.

During the Super Bowl this year, Kanye West, Saint Pablo, Yeezus, Yeezy, Ye spent $7 million to air a 30-second ad for his apparel brand.

“Hey y’all, this is Ye, and this is my commercial. And since we spent all the money on the commercial spot, we actually — we didn’t spend any money on the actual commercial. But the idea is I want you to go to WEBSITE. I’m gonna write it at the bottom of the screen and I got some shoes and mmmm that’s it”

People purportedly flocked to his website in the days that followed for "some shoes" and Ye ended up making $19 million off the back of that selfie video. That's not a bad ROI.

Don't hate the player, hate the game - A blanket excuse not to think about what you sell or buy or do.

Gwyneth Paltrow: "I travel the world, you know, searching for the ultimate, you know, wellness products. And, like, this $400 coffee is, like, totally worth it." (For Goop coffee)

Kim Kardashian: "I drink this magic green juice every morning, and it, like, totally keeps me energized and glowing!" (For FitTea detox tea)

50 Cent: "This vitamin water is, like, the secret to my success! It's got electrolytes, and...uh...stuff!" He made $100 million from Vitamin Water.

Snoop Dogg: "This car is, like, so fly! It's got, like, Snoop-approved features, man!" (For Chrysler car)

Arnold Schwarzenegger: "This protein bar tastes so good, you wouldn't believe it's good for you!" (For MusclePharm protein bars)

You definitely have the schmäh, Arnold!

While I'll never be above making fun of celebrities, let's now pivot to a narrower perspective.

When you work in marketing you want to play the game without being consumed or distracted by it.

And for the longest time, I was able to do just that. It helped that I believed in the products I sold, alas I'm sure I angered plenty of people with some of my ads.

I'm also painfully aware of the hypocrisy and ethical confusion at play here. You don't want to be salesy or pushy, but you also want to feed your family. And sadly (or not?) salesy works. Being salesy gets rewarded. Salesy gets sales. Influencer marketing, whether bullshit or not, gets sales. That's why we do it.

I don't want to get high on my moral righteousness because we all live in a messy world. Everywhere we look we're trapped in unjust, immoral systems. We are all hypocrites in some way, some of us remain aware of this fact and some of us don’t. However, that doesn't excuse anyone from needing to do better. Salesy is often unethical and capitalizes on human psychology. Salesy fuels hyper-consumption. Salesy takes advantage of people's egocentrism.

I hope that, by bringing it to your attention I have removed it from the mechanical practices of your brain and placed it front and center. Now it's up to you to decide what to do with this awareness.

Don't hate the player hate the game - but the players makes the game. Marketers make marketing.

The fact of the matter is that the internet runs on ads. Social media, in particular, runs on ads. Influencers are an interesting byproduct of these two things combined.

And while celebrities used to be the only people privy to endorsement deals, the internet has allowed brands to have a direct relationship with their consumers, often through mid-sized influencers, or thought leaders.

The beauty industry in particular is ripe with influencers, and one tactic commonly used to drum up demand in such a crowded market is scarcity marketing.

There is no real reason for Kardashian to only create 10000 makeup palettes other than manufactured urgency and exclusivity that attempts to justify a premium price for a mediocre product. This, in turn, gives rise to counterfeit products and a whole petri dish of other problems that are beyond the scope of this article.

These tactics are unethical and should not be rewarded with a purchase. Period.

Who is influencing the influencers? And what incentivizes them to influence you?

As provocative as my headline is, not all influencers are the same, of course. People like DC Rainmaker who reviews sports tech doesn't advertise for the products he reviews because he sees it as a conflict of interest - he does advertise for complementary niches like sports nutrition, sports apparel, etc.

Others, like The Try Guys exaggerate the product's claims or jokingly question their own motives for doing the ad, while makeup influencer Jackie Aina doesn't shy away from calling out the very brands that sponsor her.

When it comes to influencer marketing, there will always be an element of of-course-you-reached-the-conclusion-you-were-paid-to-reach. However, there are ways to safeguard your money and sanity when it comes to trusting endorsements, here are some of them:

1. Research Before Purchasing: Do your own research before buying a product endorsed by influencers. Look for unbiased reviews, scientific evidence supporting product claims (if applicable), and feedback from various sources, not just the influencer's platform and certainly not just the e-commerce website you are on.

2. Understand Influencer Disclosures: While different countries have different rules, in the global north, influencers are required to disclose their relationship with the brands they promote. The FTC emphasizes the use of simple and clear language. Phrases like "sponsored," "advertisement," or "paid ad" are recommended. Ambiguous terms like "thanks to [Brand Name]" or vague hashtags like # collab are not sufficient and an obvious red flag 🚩.

3. Be Skeptical of Exaggerated Claims and Emotional Manipulation: If it's too good to be true, it probably is. If an influencer makes exaggerated claims about a product's effectiveness without providing solid evidence, it's a red flag 🚩. If they're creating a sense of urgency, scarcity, or exclusivity to push you into making hasty decisions, it's a red flag 🚩.

4. Understand the Role of Authority Bias: Just because an influencer has 3 million views, that doesn't make them automatic experts in the product. In my personal experience working with influencers - if they promote a product in a field they're knowledgeable in, they are infinitely more cautious and trustworthy because they know their own authority is on the line. Needless to say, if Kim Kardashian is trying to sell you crypto, don't buy, it's a red flag 🚩.

5. Check for Affiliate Links: Be aware that influencers often use affiliate links that earn them a commission on sales. While not inherently bad, the use of affiliate links should be transparent, and you should expect it to influence their opinion.

By learning how to navigate through the smoke and mirrors of marketing you can reclaim control over your consumption habits and cultivate a more discerning mindset.

It is highly unlikely that our growth-at-all-costs world will ever admit that it's wrong to lie and manipulate human psychology in the pursuit of greed. The responsibility to question lies firmly with you. For all of its faults, capitalism also gives us the power of choice, the choice not to buy, not to click, share, or comment, the choice to scroll away.

I strongly believe we can harmonize online marketing with the human experience. What other choice do I have? Pretend I'm not aware? Pretend I don't care?

P.S. This post was entirely brain-made.

What do you think?

Is influencer marketing bullshit?
If you’re a marketer, have you used it?
If you’re a human, have you been influenced by it?

Was this worth reading?
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