As an avid reader of popular forums such as Mama Mia, but also an eager beaver when it comes to “filling out this quick survey to go into the draw to win a trip to Turkey”, I foolishly have assisted to ruin one of the LESS (not un-totally) biased blogging sites I enjoy. I completed a survey on Mama Mia one day completely overlooking the fact that I may be assisting advertisers to create promoted posts (queue horror music)
I answered questions such as “Who are you most likely to trust when it comes to people recommending products to you?…
- Mama Mia writers
- Advertising Campaigns on TV
- Shop Assistants…”
I should have seen it from the get-go. Advertisers, much like other media platforms, have needed to converge and modify the way they sell products due to a shift in technology use. I’ve noticed an increase in online surveys, asking the most likely ways you’ll try a product. The issue I’ve found with this is that we, (well, maybe just I?) look to online submissions from people on blogs or forums as honest, impartial opinions. I concentrate on what other people say, collating their words against my own prior experiences and views. I do often take in information from others if I am unfamiliar on a topic or product, and those looking to sell know this.
All I want from forums is to read unbiased, personal text. Now it appears that every post I read on Mama Mia, on the rare occasions that I ever do these days; is sponsored by Target, Proactive or Lorna Jane Active wear. Seeing the tagline “This post is promoted by…” hidden away at the bottom literally obliterates any chance of me trusting the person writing. So annoying.
#FirstWorldProblem