Look, y'all. I get it. Vetting influencers is hard, see. You would have to go through everything these very popular and influencing people have ever posted, on several dozen social medias, at least.
I'm pretty sure that is exactly why certain social media agencies and social media "model" agencies actually exist today. So that a lazy marketer clients can just flip through a binder of images of influencers, see their numbers, and pick one that may reach their target market.
Gosh, maybe we should just call AI on this job, because humans are super failing, right? *Checks watch* yeeep, that will be happening by next week, everyone get ready.
As we have known here in Adland since forever, half-assing your choice of brand spokesperson will bite you in the ass. In a hurry. Whether you pick a national celebrity like OJ Simpson, a nobody hopeful like Jared Fogle, or an underground hero like Ron "The Hedgehog" Jeremy - your brand will suffer when they fail.
In that context, older wiser ideas of selling your brand and product on a single adverb that your brand clearly can own, seems so very wise now.
These days everyone wants those eyeballs, and act as if doomscrolled bits on small phone-screens count as actual "media" and "impressions".
Hand on your heart now, how much of what you doomscrolled last night made an impression on you? Nothing? Yeah, same.
How many things did you buy off an Instagram ad before you stopped when you discovered that the were all scams and/or drop-shipped bullshit? Three? Yeah me too, and two of the things didn't even arrive. We all learn in baby steps.
Some who may not have learned are the big brands chasing those eyeballs. And while chasing them, some have made the mistake of hiring the likes of Dylan Mulvany, whose name has now become synonymous with "brand killer."
Anyway, approximately half a minute after "trans activist Samantha Hudson" became the new "Doritos ambassador", that whole idea was scrapped.
Why? Oh I don't know, I suppose we could begin with "it was a very dumb idea in the first place", but as we look around the news headlines, they basically read that indeed that "it was a very dumb idea" in all places.
Business Insider: Right-wing boycotters take aim at another brand: Doritos. Gasp! Oh noes. The horrible "right-wing" people did not like a spokesperson who wants to abolish the nuclear family that these horrible right wing people have. Who would have thunk it? It is as if these horrible right-wing people are personally offended. Gee golly.
NBC news: Doritos severs ties with transgender influencer in Spain following online boycott threat.
Rolling stone: The Right Is Trying to Make Bud Light Happen All Over Again With a Doritos Boycott. I mean to be fair, Rolling Stone is really helping to make that happen here. Outside of Spain, most people would have never known.
The problem with this particular influencer is not that they are a trans identified male living their best life. It is what this person has previously brazenly said on social media. This fact will be buried in the news articles, so just tuck that behind your ear now.
Doritos, a PepsiCo brand, said Tuesday in a statement to NBC News that it ended its campaign with Hudson after it was made aware of the past tweets.
“We [Doritos Spain] recently created a content series with Samantha Hudson, a local influencer. After the campaign started, we were made aware of Samantha’s deleted Tweets from around 2015,” it said. “We have ended the relationship and stopped all related campaign activity due to the comments. We strongly condemn words or actions that promote violence or sexism of any kind.”
Doritos claims they have been unaware of the posts in which Samatha Hudson spoke about doing "depraved things to little girls" and called women who are victims of rape “heavy whores”.
Which means that some part of marketing Doritos (as a client) does not care about what they are putting out there. Gee, who expected that after all of those Doritos "super bowl ad" competitions, that nobody in their marketing department gave a **** about their jobs?
(I heard you in the back yelling "I did!" and I appreciate that.)
I suppose to end my article here is that I should have a point, so I'll leave it simple. There is
no way that advertisers can ever infiltrate subcultures without said subculture dying.
Advertisers just "buying" space among influencers have never understood subcultures, and likely do not understand their market. You can either understand your market, or not have one.
Also, just a note, any "influencer" woman who had a set of poorly handled teeth the level of Samantha's here, would never be chosen for any ad campaign. This is so insulting, on so many levels.
Fine, you don't have great teeth, but looking like Frankenstein isn't cool unless you sing and write songs like Shane MacGowan.
I want to know when personalized advertising means I get advertising that is relevant to me? When will come the day that a family on the commercial represents the family I have or want? Or the day it's clear to advertisers I have ZERO interest in anything promoted by a TransInfluencer, let along any millennial influencer? And the day when Brands realize that my household buys TONS of groceries and have NO interest in their instagram ads? Would someone please turn this shit off??????
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