Portfolio Assignment #6

This week’s articles have been eye-opening in the sense that they elevated my understanding of the way promotional culture is on the rise and the deep impact it has on many of our lives. The piece by Sarah Banet-Weiser entitled Branding the Authentic makes a good point by stating that everyone in the 21st century “has a relationship with brands” (Banet-Weiser 8). This statement is something that is extremely clear when you think about how certain brands have infiltrated how Americans speak, for instance in parts of the United States all types of sodas are referred to as Coke. The way brands sort of seep themselves into every aspect of our lives gives a real sense of unauthenticity and at times can make people believe that these brands are an essential part of their lives. I personally am a big basketball fan, but every time I watch a game it gives off a feeling of it being staged since almost every aspect of it is sponsored in some shape. In a single game, there could be a few dozens of sponsors ranging from a sponsor for half-time to even a sponsor for when they show a playback. The introduction of sponsors to the game makes it feel more of an ad rather than a real authentic sport which is just plain sad to see.

Jarry Lee’s article What Does it Cost To Be Big on Instagram at least to me was not that surprising considering the way most influencers have to give off a sense of affluence to attract followers. The article provides various examples of different influencers and what they all have in common is that despite how big or how little their follower count is they still spend a large amount of money to get the perfect picture. One thing that surprised me was how influencers were ok with the unstable nature of their job. In the article, Mary Gui explains “One month you get a couple of high-paying brand collaborations, and the next month, none. And you might not receive the payment until 30 days later” even though Mary knew the chaotic nature of being an influencer she still felt it was better than a 9–5. The article also explores how the influencer goal of all influencers is to get big and be able to work with large sponsors. This race to the top gives off a sense of unauthenticity since it makes it seem like influencers are working day and night just for the chance to be a marketing tool used by big companies.