Last week it was announced that the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) have introduced further guidelines about advertising within video blogs, vlogs. The rules are designed to encourage vloggers to label adverts on their pages more clearly, making it obvious to their audiences that they have been paid by a company to feature their product as part of a PR strategy.
The rule dictates that if the content of a post is controlled by the marketer and not the vlogger themselves, then it must be labelled as an advertisement. However, it is noted that if free items are sent to vloggers without any editorial control by the brand then there is no need to label these as an advert.
This is a PR tool that many companies are now using in order to market their products. From food to holidays, vloggers are often sent complimentary gifts in the hope that they will feature them in their posts.
So, what is the advantage of using vloggers as part of your PR and marketing strategy? For starters, it cannot be denied that vlogs are watched by an increasingly large audience, having become particularly popular amongst the younger population. Beauty and lifestyle vlogger Zoella has an impressive 8.9 million subscribers on YouTube, meaning that any brand she promotes is sure to reach millions of people around the world, whether it is in the form of a paid advert or a freebie.
As the popularity of vloggers rises, their influence over the public is also increasing, a recent survey found that 53% of vlog watchers said that they trust brand promotions on these pages. With huge audiences, many of whom are trusting fans, it is no surprise that companies are fighting to have their products featured on one of the top vlogger’s pages.
Forget expensive advertising costs, it is now possible to reach millions of consumers just by sending a freebie to a vlogger who likes your product. This may not be a sure-fire strategy but it is important for PR Consultants to bear in mind the increasing effect that vloggers have on consumers when considering their marketing strategy.
