How to spot sneaky sponsorships

Vloggers such as Tanya Burr and Fleur De Force gained popularity through make up tutorials and hauls. A fresh take on beauty information that was more relatable and trusted compared to polished and less friendly magazine features.

Back in the day these YouTuber’s were just normal girls sharing what they had spent their money on however they have evolved into the same league as beauty editors. Now they can charge brands for mentioning their products in videos and Instagram posts.

2015 was the year that the Committee of Advertising Practice issued a new guideline that big named YouTuber’s have to disclose when a video is sponsored and has product placement. They also have to state when an upload is advertising their own range of products or books so viewers are being mislead and know what the videos true purpose is before clicking.

In The Frow follows the Advertising Practice guidelines 

This code does not cover the amount of coveted freebies vloggers often receive. At the end of the day viewers are more interested in items the vlogger actually purchased. Everything seems better when it is for free so you are more likely to be disappointed by an item you actually purchase yourself. It is also very understandable that a YouTuber wouldn’t want to slag off a product that was kindly sent to them for free just as you wouldn’t be rude about a present you would have received.

With many viewers being preteens and more easily lead these guidelines are more relevant in the YouTube community. Even as a viewer in her twenties I would be disappointed if I purchased an item thinking it was a product my favourite vlogger picked out and loved to discover it was in fact a sponsored item.

A new style of video, which is currently popular among beauty bloggers, is the “New In” video that discusses new beauty releases. It is a crucial part of many YouTuber’s jobs to buy the latest products and new clothes to haul. You can’t deny the fact that many buy products with the main purpose to review. ‘Bloggers Haul’ is also growing in the community where you see vloggers go through their post of what brands have sent them. These videos are great and separate hauls in which they have actually purchased and chosen the items personally compared to items they have been sent.

Despite the fact that the guideline has been put in place to stop misleading viewers before they even click on the video.  Some sneaky YouTuber’s are creating click bait titles to entice viewers when the title might not be as relevant to the video as the title would suggest. 

Are you more likely to click off a video if it has ‘AD’ in the title?

How the Truman Show predicted Vlogging

I imagine the majority of Alfie Deyes viewers have never watched The Truman Show, released in 1998 vloggers biggest audience probably weren’t even born yet.  However after recently re watching The Truman Show I have to come to the conclusion that it predicted vlogging.

The Truman show is a science fiction, comedy drama film. Jim Carrey plays a normal guy who is unaware that he is the main star of a constructed reality show watched by millions.

The public is invested in Truman’s life and find his mundane life routines interesting not too different from YouTuber’s Morning Routine videos.

Vloggers love lives are often speculated in YouTube comments with the most successful YouTuber’s being in very public relationships. Being in a relationship on YouTube can be very beneficial with Mr. and Mrs. style videos being very popular and sweet moments being captured on video.  The ‘producers’ of the TV series in The Truman Show also recognised the importance of a relationship at drawing in a big audience.

My favorite aspect of the Truman Show is their sneaky sponsorships, the way his wife will stop mid conversation to hold up some hot chocolate powder and claim how great it is and repeat the brand name. The random close up of brand logos and speaking like an advert. This is also now a regular occurrence in vlogging , the spontaneous baking tutorial and spending a little too long talking about a certain product.

I do honestly believe that the majority of Vloggers had no idea of the amount of people their videos would reach. I doubt Zoe Sugg filming a video of herself in her bedroom going through a Primark bag back in 2009 would ever of thought she would be watched by 9 million people.

At the end of the day aren’t all the big vloggers the unassuming celebrities of the real world?

YouTube Book Club: Life with a Sprinkle of Glitter

                                             Making the mundane a little more magical.

Overview: Written in true Louise style this book is chatty, warming and ideal to read on cosy candles and blanket days.

The content very much reminds me of magazines I used to read as a young girl such as Girl Talk and annuals.

One of the best aspects of Sprinkle of Glitters book is how she manages to keep it relevant to both her younger and older viewers. Louise started as a ‘Mummy Blogger’ documenting her pregnancy and mothering tips meaning a lot of her viewers are mothers themselves. Obviously along with her chummy, Zoella, Louise is queen of the teenyboppers who make up a large proportion of her views. Louise manages to satisfy her varied audience with the best example coming from her interior section. Louise goes through how to decorate your space during different stages of your like from family bedroom, university halls, girlie house, couples city flat and your own grown up suburban family home. Covering all the aspects of her life through the years and her viewers.

Life with a Sprinkle of Glitter is very much in keeping with her blog and her Pinterest. This does make you question why you should pay for a book when you get a lot of similar information from her blog for free and the same issue applies to many other vloggers books. However many believed that the Internet could be the end of the printed media so the fact YouTuber’s are embracing and joining print media is a brilliant thing. For true YouTube fans that really admire vloggers who will buy into YouTube books would want to package up their favourite piece of the Internet and be able to pick it up and put it on their bookshelf.

The book very much comes under the category of lifestyle book with tips and guides for different aspects of your life (beauty, crafts and confidence). What sets Louise apart from other lifestyle books is the same thing that sets her apart from other beauty vloggers, her honest and relatable personality. A lot of lifestyle books can be quite preachy and written by a perfectionist who most likely gets up at 5am to do yoga every morning. You won’t exactly learn anything ground breaking in Life with a Sprinkle of Glitter but its full with sweet little things that are both lovely and ordinary.

Personality: Chirpy chatty Louise writing style but mainly includes common sense but does cover a good variation of topics.  

Looks: The size of the book is perfect but the illustrations reminded me of Jacqueline Wilson and were a bit too little girlie for my personal taste.  

Birthday hauls bragging or brilliant?

                       Love them or hate them gift hauls are always great at gaining views.

A lengthy disclaimer now accompanies what once started as quite a simple lighthearted video. Explaining how they are not bragging and are so grateful for every present they’ve received. No matter how many times a YouTuber will declare that they are not wanting to show off there will still be negative comments.

YouTuber Sunbeamsjess has recently announced in a video that she no longer feels comfortable sharing what gifts she receives with her viewers.  Jess is known for her luxurious hauls; in the past she has received YSL and Chanel handbags, Christian Louboutin shoes and Monica Vinader rings. What was endearing about Sunbeams jess’s birthday/Christmas hauls is how she was just as excited sharing what books and cuddly toy monkey she received along with a vintage Chanel necklace.  Her videos were the perfect mix of Lush bath bombs, independent designers and high-end brands.

I am never one to a give thumbs up on these negative comments, I personally find it much more interesting hearing about a suit from The Kooples rather then a onesie from Primark.

Jess went about the situation in an admirable and professional way, proving that unlike many other successful YouTuber’s she acknowledges the critics. She obviously took care and consideration into her decision and found herself agreeing with many of the negative comments. It would appear that, as she got older and YouTube got bigger showing extravagant presents to the Internet felt inappropriate.

As a big lover of birthday and Christmas hauls I decided to re visit Sunbeamsjess past videos to look through some of the comments. Many were the awkward yet harmless breakdown of how much was spent on each present and the overall total. What I found interesting was I wouldn’t call many of the comments ‘hate’ but just an honest reaction to the extravagant gifts and viewers comparing their present with the ones shown in the video. There were quite a few very judgmental analysis of her family life but over all the comment section was a sigh and eye rolling response to the video.

A selection of comments taken for birthday/Christmas hauls:

“I feel so depressed watching your halls because I know I will never be able to afford such things and have to be pleased with a pair of socks for my birthday basically the rest of my life”

“The fact this girl gets money for posting videos of what her rich family and friends got her for Christmas makes me sick”

“If you truly understood the weight of having this much money spent on you you wouldn't be appreciative, you would be embarrassed and maybe somewhat guilty. You so obviously don't understand how privileged you are as you flick from item to item just as you do every year. This amount of money should not be spent on one person; it is pretty obscene, mindless and materialistic. Have you not thought to ask for less extravagant presents? Have you never felt the least bit ashamed of the excess that you experience every birthday and Christmas? I am sure you are a kind and thoughtful person but your perspective on the world and your priorities are seemingly very warped.”  

“ummm why did you think you needed the nicest most expensive camera. Im so sick of these rich kids on youtube.”

Whether you had £70 spent on you or £700 there will still be someone calling you spoilt. Will other YouTuber’s also shy away from birthday hauls? 

What are your thoughts on birthday hauls?