It got me thinking.
We used to know that most commercials used paid actors, handsomely compensated for their ability to portray enjoyment and delight. On TV, an image of an attractive family all gathered around a table of Subway wrappers, drinks, and sandwiches — smiling in satisfaction. The viewer knows it’s all staged. Perhaps the product placement, the catchy jingle, or the curated images of slippery lunch meat might be enough to get you off the couch and into a Subway. But, you never thought, “that family is truly enjoying that meal. I’m going to purchase that meal to experience the same enjoyment.”
But media has changed. And paid actors are harder to suss out.
Everyone with 500 followers or more could be considered a micro influencer, receiving money, free product, or other benefits — from featuring an item. There is an industry that has been built on the backs of regular people giving products 30-second reviews or eating new protein bars in their viral “Get Ready With Me” videos.
Getting your brand tagged or used by a popular content creator can sometimes lead to your little product exploding on the market.
So, in a world where everyone who has a social media account can be a paid actor, how do we really know what’s good? And if it’s paid, in any way, can the opinion really be unbiased?
Let’s say I have two favorite protein bars. The less than ideal texture of my second favorite one becomes a non issue if the company is sending me cases, right?
Is an opinion an opinion if it’s paid to be that opinion?
As a result, we’re influenced to buy creams, bars, shakes, serums and powders only to discover they might not be effective.
A CEO who I would guess almost never eats McDonald’s is just revealing that reality. The video was contrived and unbelievable because he’s not as smooth of a salesman as all the other content creators who try products for a living. Had it been seamless, there would probably be more people out buying The Big Arch right now. Step it up before you go live, Mr. CEO.
Wouldn’t it have been more effective to give the burger to people who actually eat it and catch their reaction, unpaid? Maybe, just maybe, catching the neutral reaction of a customer that might just stick with a Big Mac. That’s real and in a sea of fake — it would stand out.
I long for a time where people are honest on and off camera and stop pretending to use and love subpar products — in the name of a paycheck. Where people aren’t afraid to call out brands that you buy for the label or status, or simply because Kim Kardashian uses it. The result? A sad homogenous human population, all of which share the same opinion and buy the same things; caught in the same cycle and in pursuit of sameness.
I’m really interested in the unpopular opinions. We used to call it authenticity. The ones that might shock people and wouldn’t induce a viral following. The ones that might make you question, “do I really like that thing?”
Mine? I like dipping carrots in spicy peanut butter. Hear me out. Take 1/2 cup peanut butter and mix it with 1 tbsp. sriracha and a little lime juice if you’re feeling fancy. Dip crisp, cold carrots sticks in it and I think you have a lovely snack.
Try it. But if you hate it — feel free to say so.
”But First, Food” columnist Whitney Kling is a recipe developer who lives in southwest Ohio with her four kids and two cats. She is also the owner of Fête in The Silos in downtown Dayton. Email you thoughts to her at hellowhitneyk@gmail.com.
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