Celebs, Brands and Fake Fans: does anybody care?

My initial reaction to Channel 4′s Dispatches programme Celebs, Brands and Fake Fans the other night was ‘so what’s new’? Are Channel 4 journalists really surprised that brands give celebrities free stuff in the hope that they’ll influence their fans? It’s been going on in magazines for years – editors know that a celebrity endorsement on an editorial page is worth a dozen ad pages.

I’ve found the mud-slinging that has followed much more exciting than anything the programmed uncovered. ITV is threatening legal action after the Dispatches team targeted Coronation Street stars with products from bogus brand Puttana Aziendale (Italian for corporate whore). Didn’t anyone think of sticking the brand name in Google translate? Now that did make me laugh!

As did the ridiculous products the journalists were pushing on the unwitting celebs – my favourite was the energising bracelet blessed by Buddhist monks that was really from a Camden market stall and cost just £7.
But did we really need to watch half an hour of celebrities collecting goodies from brands? Anyone who’s watched Katie Price in her own reality show know it’s standard practice for brands to shower celebrities with gifts to gain exposure and kudos.

The click farms in Dhaka, Bangladesh made for more uncomfortable viewing. I wonder are there still brands out there who see social media as a numbers game? Facebook likes, Twitter followers and YouTube views = brand success.
Social media isn’t just about collecting clicks and likes it’s about honest, meaningful conversations between brands and their community of fans and followers. And fake clicks and fans won’t work in the long run. If anything, they’ll harm a brand’s reputation when people get wind of it.

No-one is immune it seems, even Coca Cola got caught out for fake views of its Hard Times commercial on YouTube. Brands are the ones who are ultimately responsible for this shady practice, which breaks ASA rules. So how do you keep track of your social media marketing campaigns?

Smarayda Christoforou, Copywriter, DMA