Another week, another celebrity who got caught copying and pasting their captions from a Public Relations professional into their Instagram post.
What looks like a run-of-the-mill social media *fail* instantly transforms into a trending topic on Twitter and splashed across headlines all over the internet.
Well guess, what, we’re not buying it. Here’s why.
Free publicity for the brand
The first thing you might be thinking when you see these mistakes is muttering under your breath “you had ONE job!”
Well, it may be more carefully crafted than you think. Athletes, actors, and online influencers are all known to post images praising certain companies or products. It’s likely almost all of these shoutouts are not a genuine appreciation, but a business deal made on behalf of their public relations team.
The most famous oops moment in recent memory comes courtesy of human Kardashian accessory, Scott Disick.
It seems the iPhone copy + paste function outwitted Mr. Disick and the end result is social media gold (see below).
Within hours, hundreds of articles circulated online with screenshots of the blunder. Wait shh, do you hear that? That’s the sound of free publicity for what I’m sure is a very nutritious product called “Bootea” protein shake.
You know what they say? All publicity is good publicity.
You become a household name!
Ramona Singer, who? This brand influencer is a Real Housewives of New York City cast member who many people don’t know outside of the Bravo-lebrity universe. And yet, here we are talking about her now.
I’d bet her PR team took a page from the Scott Disick school of marketing because I’m not buying it.
Exhibit A: She was asked to post a makeup free selfie to boost the confidence of their natural beauty. But Ms. Singer is clearly wearing a bevy of mascara and/or false eyelashes.
A savvy businesswoman who knew her social media snafu would likely make headlines made sure her makeup was #flawless.
Are we seeing the rising trend of this guerilla marketing technique?
Naomi Campbell joins the lazy copy and paste club
One thing is for sure, whether these sponsored content posts were intentional or not, they’re exposing what many users aren’t aware of – endorsement deals are a huge source of income for influencers and not an actual representation of the private lives of a celeb.
Just how much does a celebrity make per tweet or Instagram post? It varies anywhere between a few thousand dollars, to six figures per post, depending on the star power behind the account. E! News did an investigation if you want to learn more about the secret world of social media sponsorship.
The truth is, these aren’t the first rookie mistakes and they likely won’t be the last in social media endorsements. The business of celebrity is a lucrative one, that’s for sure.
