We’ve all got bills to pay—even if we’re minor-to-moderate celebrities. So what’s a reality star or child actor to do when the show doesn’t get picked up for a fourth season or when (more likely) their opulent lifestyle has outgrown their bank account?
Luckily for them, it is 2015 and the world of Instagram marketing is ready and waiting. There’s an interesting limbo that awaits the wide swath of celebrities who are no longer famous enough to land an endorsement deal but are still famous enough that a company will pay them money to promote a product on their personal social media. The products that celebrities shill on Instagram are generally coherent with the nature of the medium—i.e. highly narcissistic—and tend to repeat a small range of categories: teeth whitening, weight loss teas, waist shapers.
Or, in the case of pregnant Kim Kardashian, drugs for morning sickness.
You’ll immediately notice that the caliber of most of these products is questionable, and that all of these “ads” require a certain love of selfies and correspondent lack of shame.
But one thing’s undeniable: making money this way is pretty easy. Even if you don’t have Instagram, you can do it via the tabloid medium. Mandy Moore, for example, simply has to put on some decent clothes and pretend to go grocery shopping to stay ahead of those mortgage payments. No social media presence required.
Compare that to the caption Snooki included with a post about a protein powder:
Squats make a booty good. @proteinworld Slender Blend makes a booty even better! Toning up with the best nutritional supplements out there 🙂
We don’t know for sure that Snooki’s being paid for that post, of course. (I mean: she is.) When a celebrity is being paid to use their platform to promote a product, they’re supposed to tag the post #ad or #spon in some way indicate that a transaction has taken place, like with Kelly Ripa here: an actual star with a real endorsement deal, for whom transparency is not a problem.
Sometimes a celebrity’s post will include a discount code for the product they’re promoting. While this isn’t an outright admission that it’s a straight-up advertisement, most people can make that jump.
If I can count on anything I know I can count on my @girlycurves_ waist cincher Every mom can use that extra help Thanks @girlycurves_ www.girlycurves.com (They are having a 15% OFF Memorial Day Sale Use Code: Memorial) I gained some weight from my all-inclusive vaca in Mexico because I had a good time drinking and eating a lot like everyone should on vacation but now it’s time to get back on the grind and really work out for a better body and a better self! Even though I’m happy with how I look I want to achieve better results.
Compare that to this post from Hilary Duff with a caption that in no way suggests that she was paid to post an obvious advertisement.
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