Notes to Self

Social media has transformed the method businesses market their products. While they used to advertise only on television or through other typical advertising, the media now works by employing influencers to bring their products to Instagram and TikTok for the entire world to observe. For an example of the transparency issue, look at skincare advertising.

From a business point of view, influencer marketing can also help a skincare product to get to a certain target market and to sell more. Brands can partner with other social media personalities that have active followers who are into beauty, skincare, and care. Followers might want to purchase the product if they see the influencer using the product, talk about their skincare routine with the product, or showcase images of the before-and-after results. The brand earns money from the product sold, while the influencer may get paid as a sponsor, get the product for free, or affiliate with a certain product.

Commonly, the people who are targeted are teenagers and young adults who use social media platforms to find out about new products and to see beauty trends. The advertisements can be appealing to the consumer by advertising clearer skin, improving the user’s skincare regimen, or the appearance of results. Techniques that could arouse this might be promotional ads, endorsements, appealing images, and persuasive or emotional appeals. This relates to advertising ethos, pathos, and logos, where an influencer gains credibility, appeals to our emotions and sense of insecurity, and/or uses language of deduction.

With all the benefits comes some important risks that need to be considered. For example, a few influencers don’t want to say that they’re paid to promote a product. Some influencers also exaggerate the outcome they achieved with the product or use a picture that’s edited to make the product look better than it actually is, both of which could cause you to waste money on a product that might not do anything for your skin. Skincare ads can also cause low self-esteem in some people because they imply you need to change your skin to be attractive or have the confidence to be attractive.

Influencer after influencer touting the same product makes consumers think that they need it even if they hadn’t planned on buying it in the first place. Algorithms on social media make this situation worse, as the more a user views and engages with beauty content, the more content they receive.

My opinion is that it raises my attention to the idea of whether I am being recommended an authentic product or whether the product is a sales campaign. When I make a purchase of a product being promoted online, I ask whether the influencer is sponsored and what other people say about the product, and I do my research on the product and not simply rely on a social media post. An influencer or marketer should be authentic.