“This is a sponsored post, but all opinions expressed are my own.” You see it all the time these days in sponsored posts by so-called “influencers” across social media networks. If you’re not familiar with the term, an influencer is someone, generally on social media, who has a large network of connections or followers, and is therefore considered an influential member of the community.
One of the most popular trends in Marketing at the time of this post is to use influencers to spread the word about a product or service. When that happens, you’ll typically see something to the effect of the above-quoted line shown somewhere, which tells you that the influencer received some form of compensation in exchange for the post.
Here’s the thing though: I don’t believe that line for a single second. Here’s why.
The Principle of Reciprocity
Reciprocity is an insanely-powerful force in human nature and society. Put simply, it’s the idea that, if you do something nice for me, I should do something nice for you. Sheldon famously demonstrated the principle on The Big Bang Theory, when Penny gives him a napkin used by Leonard Nimoy. His response to the gesture was to say “You haven’t given me a gift; you’ve given me an obligation!”
I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
Typically, the way influencer marketing works is that a brand will give an influencer “complimentary” access to its products or services. It might be a free jacket, a free mattress or free premium access to a subscription-based account; it doesn’t matter. The premise works like this: “We’ll give you free stuff, and in exchange all we want is for you to share your opinion on it, good or bad.”
Ah, but that’s the thing. As an influencer, you’ve given me something for free; if I’m influential enough, maybe you even paid me to take it off your hands and try it out. Wouldn’t it violate the principle of reciprocity if I turned around and said something negative about it?
You’re darn right it would, and it would also completely burn your bridge with the company. To say something negative would be equivalent to shooting your own income stream directly in the foot. The annoying thing is, because the company isn’t technically forcing the influencer to say something positive, the influencer is able to make a statement like “all opinions expressed are my own.”
Why I’m Telling You This
Look, I work in marketing, and I’ve used influencers to tell stories about my products and services too. I’m not opposed to it, but I believe there’s a right and wrong way to go about it. For me, it’s important that people be aware of the biases and forces influencing the influencers.
Just know that, while the opinions expressed may technically be their own, in practice they are wildly influenced by the principle of reciprocity, which acts as an invisible cage holding the influencer back from expressing any authentically negative opinions they may have had.
If you want unbiased opinions about a product or service, look in forums or marketplaces like Amazon. Just make sure that, as you read reviews, you check to see whether the author was compensated in any way for writing it. I’ve seen an increasing number of 5-star reviews accompanied by a message that says something to the effect of “This review was collected as a part of a promotion whereby the author received free product in exchange for their opinion.” Bam, reciprocity in action. Don’t fear it, just be aware of it and think critically about the opinions you’re reading.
Wrapping it Up
Too often we go through life without questioning our surroundings or thinking for ourselves in any way. I’m trying to challenge you to open your eyes and second-guess the opinions you have about things, as well as the opinions and information you read from others. When you drift along just accepting any information that comes your way as fact, you open yourself up to all kinds of influences. Some may be benevolent, but the reality is that most aren’t. My sensei talks all the time about how self-defence extends beyond the physical, and as I write this I can’t help but come back to that belief and think about how this is a perfect example of that.
