https://theoutline.com/post/6067/brands-are-paying-influencers-75k-to-trash-their-competitors?zd=2&zi=g54f6br4ok, so apologies right off the bat for posting an article that's about "the beauty influencer industry," but when i came across this article today, i couldn't help but think of the parallels to the skateboarding industry. the article starts off like this:
"over the last three years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cracked down on Instagram influencers, forcing users to disclose sponcon and brand partnerships with a simple hashtag (#ad or #paid are preferred) or built-in branded partner ID tools."isn't a pro skater's general livelihood based on sponcon and brand partnerships? what makes a pro skater different from an "Instagram influencer"? when andrew reynolds posts a fit featuring new era, he tags @neweracap, but he doesn't include any sort of #ad or #paid hashtags despite him getting some sort of incentive for such posts (i assume?). or how about nora rocking some new wristwear and tagging @swatchandsports? again, no #ad or #paid hashtags. brandon biebel comes to mind in that his recent instagram posts featuring budweiser make use of the #ad hashtag. is that different because budweiser isn't related to skateboarding? if he has an instagram post featuring girl skateboards, isn't he still getting paid for that? why no #ad there? does the FTC not crack down on pro skaters because most people understand that these types of sponsorships are how pro skaters earn their income, whereas in the beauty industry people don't often realize how these influencers make their money, thus requiring more transparency?
later in the article, the author breaks down some advertisement options, as follows:
"A brand I consulted with asked me to inquire about working with a top-level beauty influencer. The influencer's management offered me these options:
1) $25K - product mention in a multi-branded product review.
2) $50K-$60K - dedicated product review (price determined by length of video).
3) $75K-$85K - dedicated negative review of a competitor's product (price determined by length of video).
4) A minimum 10% affiliate link or code to use on IG and YT."these days, the skateboarding industry seems pretty congenial, and people (aside from those on slap, or maybe some pros on the rapid fire segment of the bunt podcast) seem hesitant to call out other brands. however, with the advent of all these skateboard vlogs, i'm wondering if option #3 isn't too far away from becoming a reality. for example, after having recently read that thread about how kookish john hill can be, it doesn't seem too farfetched that revive would give him a little money to pimp their boards at the expense of some other brand's. as the article states,
"brands offer higher rates for influencers who agree to “compare” the company’s product to a specific competitor, with higher paychecks available for those who emphasize the particular company’s superiority." i feel like if rocco were still around he would be all over option #3.