Top tips: Think it’s a recommendation? It might be an ad
Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world and list ways to explore these trends. This week, we'll be looking at ways we can spot ads disguised as recommendations in today's influencer era.
These days, it's getting harder for me to distinguish between an ad and a recommendation. I'd see something in Google search results and assume it's a recommendation, but then notice a small Sponsored tag in an upper corner—almost invisible and strategically placed so people would miss it.
I doubt I'm the only one. From social media to search results, brands have been striving to make their promotions look less like ads and more like recommendations. And through their collaboration with influencers, it has become increasingly difficult to tell the difference.
In order not to get influenced by everything we see and overloaded with things we don't need, we need to spot what's actually genuine and what's being pushed to us by brands.
To do this, let's look at some best practices:
1. Read between the lines
Influencers and brands are finding multiple ways to avoid making their collaboration obvious. Often, I look at a video and trust the influencer's recommendation, only to later find out it's an ad that looks so genuine, it's impressive. Still, some eagle-eyed users can easily pick them out. How? A few signs include:
If an influencer markets luxury products and suddenly switches to a drugstore product.
When an influencer recommends a product on a routine basis. Two or three consecutive reels is likely a collaboration. Brands know that we notice these things, so they've started adding “brand familiarity” as part of their promotional contracts, steering influencers to suggest their products more frequently.
When an influencer cleverly curates a few posts or reels with a problem and then comes up with a magical solution to the problem. The solution? Usually a product with a collaboration behind it. Likewise, when the solution the influencer provides is too good to be true or too cliché, it's most likely an ad.
2. Watch out for too many product details
There are certain things we wouldn't notice or call out in a product. Oftentimes, we don't even know the exact name of the product we use, much less its features.
When influencers effortlessly name an entire product and its brand without a twitch in their eye, it's probably because of a brand collaboration. This is because most brands want their names to be clearly conveyed to the audience.
If an influencer calls out a brand and the product by name multiple times in a short video, having only used the product for a few days to a week, it's likely a reel promotion.
3. Take a closer look
Influencers do mention #ad or #partner when they collaborate with brands, but it's likely hidden in their captions. When we click Read More, we can find these hashtags buried among many others.
When the influencer mentions "link in bio" or asks viewers to leave a comment for a link—they're most likely getting an affiliate commission.
Also, when the production quality is perfect, with multiple camera angles, good lighting, and excellent editing, it's most likely because it's an ad.
A final word
Brands are getting clever with the way they advertise their products. Nowadays, influencers try their best to disguise ads as genuine suggestions.
Read between the lines. An influencer marketing a product that's unusual for their regular style of videos; giving detailed information that a normal consumer would overlook; and mentioning #ad or #partner in their captions are all cues that point to the reel likely being an ad. With many influencers disguising their product promotions in similar ways, when you start to notice these cues, you can't unsee the differences.