#Ad A
N INSTAGRAM POST of a celebrity holding up a bottle of shampoo? Obviously an advertisement. Your favorite YouTuber encouraging you to buy a product that has done them wonders? Not clearly an ad, but definitely a trap. With the exponential growth of social media and popular creators who thrive on these platforms, advertisers have taken the opportunity to pay influencers to endorse their products. From reality TV stars to teenage vloggers, celebrity sponsorships are all over social media platforms. Despite the attempt of some social media apps to require influencers to disclose sponsorships, it is common for endorsements like these to stay undisclosed. Consumers should have the right to know if an influencer is being sponsored in order to accurately determine the credibility of the ad and the trustworthiness of the product being promoted. As the target audience of most social media influencers, teens can be especially vulnerable to these advertisements. “Many teens idolize their favorite YouTubers, and are willing to buy products that
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SOCIAL MEDIA’S SECRET ADVERTISMENTS Text by PAISLEY ANNES Art by XIAOHAN LI might make them more like that YouTu- help you “meet your hair goals,” according ber,” Palo Alto High School sophomore to their website. Compared to the price of a typical vitamin gummy, such as FlintGianna Brogley says. I find it difficult to believe that when Stones Gummies which are $12.22 per an influencer is being paid to endorse a month on Amazon, SugarBearHair gumproduct, they are actually frequent users of mies cost a whopping $29.99 a month. these items. It seems more When influencers likely that social media tell their viewers that they Consumers have have tried these gummies gurus are just testing the product for sponsorship the right to know and they work, teens are deal money. more likely to purif an influencer is much A 2018 study by chase the product out of Forbes revealed that 92% being sponsored. blind loyalty, rather than of consumers trust influthorough research. encers more than ads or celebrity endorseThese gummies are just one of the ments, but what these consumers fail to un- millions of absurd trends created and supderstand is that the YouTube video they are ported by brands and influencers that trap watching is no different from the ad they consumers into purchasing a useless prodskipped at the beginning of that video. uct. In addition, brands and influencers Fortunately, according to the Austracapitalize on teens’ insecurities to create lian Competition and Consumer Commisridiculous fads, making viewers feel com- sion, there are ways to avoid falling into pelled to consume products to comply with the deceiving hands of dirty advertisers. social pressures. One effective way to verify a brand’s SugarBearHair is a classic example of a credibility is to research whether they folcompany that uses this marketing strategy. low through on their promises. You can do The hair vitamin company pays influ- this by checking with other people who encers with large followings — such have bought the product themselves and as actress Dove Cameron — to ad- who aren’t being paid to give a raving revertise their products. view. Nevertheless, anyone who is active SugarBearHair’s only claim online must keep in mind how much adabout the gummies is that they vertising companies know about you, regardless of whether you’re looking to shop. “They know when you’re going to have your first baby, they know when you’re gonna get married and they know when and what kind of products you’re gonna buy,” Paly economics teacher Grant Blackburn said. The ads and influencer sponsorships that appear on your Instagram are targeted directly toward you, and can be hard to avoid. Despite this, it is crucial to check the credibility of the brand, and not let social media’s secret advertisements get the best of you. v