In this edition of the Glossy+ Research Briefing, we dive into social media influencers’ dissatisfaction with the way some popular brands are favoring influencers with a larger audience reach over creators with smaller audiences when it comes to promotional brand experiences.
Audiences are disappointed over the lack of inclusion of smaller content creators
TikTok viewers have been up in arms over the past few weeks after content creators shared details about how soda brand Poppi and a large luxury eyewear manufacturer have handled their recent in-person activations with social media influencers.
Ahead of the Super Bowl, Poppi delivered branded vending machines to 32 popular influencers for use during their personal Super Bowl parties. However, as the influencers began showcasing the vending machines in their TikTok videos, viewers began flooding comments sections with questions about the exorbitant amount of money a custom vending machine intended for a singular use must have cost Poppi.
One user wrote in response to influencer Rachel Gaede’s video, “🤨 wouldn’t this be great to put in the hospital to share with everybody especially nurses and doctors crazyyyy.” Another viewer added, “imagine what better things they could’ve done than gift a wealthy influencer a $25k machine 🥰🥰🥰 like helping communities, for one.”
Olipop, a close competitor in the prebiotic soda game, chimed in on the social media conversation to claim that Poppi had spent $25,000 for each vending machine. “also for the record, those machines cost $25K each lol,” Olipop commented on a video. And, “32 machines times $25K per machine yikes,” the soda brand wrote on another video.
Other social media users said they have become tired of seeing brands spending thousands of dollars on promotional gifts for well-known creators who already receive numerous brand opportunities and large amounts of financial compensation. Users were quick to comment that Poppi seemed to only include creators with large followings in its vending machine campaign, like friends of mega-influencer Alix Earle. “It blows me [away] that brand[s] STILL don’t understand that consumers don’t wanna see already wealthy influencers get these insane trips/pr packages,” commented one TikTok user.
Last week, Poppi responded to the social media outcry about its vending machines. Co-founder and chief brand officer Allison Ellsworth posted a TikTok video in which she shot down Olipop’s cost allegations and explained the brand’s intention behind the campaign. Ellsworth said the vending machines did not cost $25,000 each and clarified that they will be a part of a longer running Poppi campaign. Ellsworth said the influencers will have to return the vending machines and she urged fans to leave comments about where they’d like to see the vending machines located in the future.
Vending machines are a lucrative endeavor for beverage brands, especially when located in high-traffic areas. According to Market.US, the global vending machine market is anticipated to reach $41.4 billion in revenue by 2033. The vending machine market has maintained consistent growth over the past decade at a compound annual growth rate of 7.5%. Naturally, this makes vending machines attractive to growing brands.
The uproar over Poppi’s vending machine campaign has started a larger online conversation online among social media users who feel that luxury brand opportunities are only available to influencers with millions of followers. According to the social media users, when Poppi launched, it received a significant amount of support from smaller creators which helped it to become a popular soda brand. However, some users feel that the company isn’t staying true to its roots because it hasn’t continued to include smaller content creators in its brand experiences.
A major eyewear manufacturer (rumored to be EssilorLuxottica) is facing similar online flak. According to online posts, the brand invited several influencers for an all-expense paid trip to Milan this month. However, some influencers have said they were uninvited from the brand’s trip just a few days prior to travel. In a four-part tell-all posted to her TikTok, Camila Vila (@camila.vilas on TikTok, 250,800 followers) shared what she experienced to be a confusing back-and-forth exchange between her management team and the eyewear brand while trying to get the trip booked, only for it to end with a rescinded invitation due to brand budget concerns for the trip. Vila also said a friend, whose identity she didn’t reveal but who is also an influencer, had a similar rescinded invitation from the brand.
Comments from social media users on Vila’s videos have called out the eyewear brand for not handling the situation professionally. “This should be looked at as a breech [sic] of contract. creators schedule content, accepting/declining brands deals accordingly, then to be dropped last min [minute] all while companies don’t care either way,” wrote one TikTok user.
“It’s sometimes the smaller influencers that get better engagement. They have a more intimate relationship with their audience,” commented another TikTok user.
