I strongly dislike advertisements. I dislike them even more when I am tricked into watching an ad. And I dislike them the most when they use influencers and celebrities, whom I enjoy, to market their products to me. Yes, I understand that social media and influencer marketing are important to a brand. However, I still can’t help but feel a bit disappointed when I get branded content shown to me. It always feels disingenuous when I know they are doing this for a check.
This is how I felt when I started to seek TikTok videos of Michael Cera defacing a bunch of CerVe products. Then I started to see staged paparazzi pictures of Michael Cera holding a clear bag filled with CerVe products followed by videos of people speculating if Michael Cera was the founder of CeraVe.
If that didn’t already bother me, I think what truly annoyed me was seeing a branded podcast episode where Bobbi Althoff, host of The Really Good podcast, was interviewing Michael Cera about this. This all culminated in the release of CeraVe’s Super Bowl ad featuring Michael Cera presenting the idea of “tricking” people into thinking he created CeraVe, as a play on his last name, to a room of CeraVe board members.
While this advertisement is funny and relies a lot on the positive perception people have about Michael Cera, I find it troubling that a lot of the branded content made for this brand only had “#ad” on the screen for a few seconds before disappearing. To me, this plays into some form of deceptive marketing, even if it is being light-hearted. Although these adverts technically do not go against the FTC guidelines for working with social media influencers, I believe CeraVe and a lot of brands have influencers and celebrities do the bare minimum in disclosing that it is an advert.
What is happening with CeraVe is also an example of media convergence. CeraVe’s advertisement was shared on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, and it also aired during the Super Bowl, which was viewed by 123.4 million people. This led to journalists writing articles about this advert, too. From a consumer perspective, I am a bit fed up with the constant bombardment of ads. However, from a media communications perspective, I am impressed at how CeraVe successfully advertised its brand using the paid, earned, owned, and shared channels from the PESO model.
The PESO model is helpful when looking at branded content because it shows both the separation and integration that occurs in this space. It also shows the blurring of lines and the convergence that is happening between them as well. While none of this is new, the relationship between integration and branded content is continuing to intensify in the digital era. Brands are becoming more aware of how important the convergence of media and marketing is in reaching their target audiences, which pains me as a consumer.
As mentioned previously, I understand the importance of branded content and advertisement when it comes to marketing a brand; however, I dislike how everything seems to be done for profit. When I see influencers or celebrities marketing a product to me, unless I already own it, I am less likely to go out of my way to try it. Even brands like Red Bull or Dove, who have invested in a lot of branded content intended for consumers to feel something on a deeper level, leave me skeptical of their intentions. While there is a place for branded content and advertisement, I am too fatigued with the bombardment of ads, in my daily life, to feel anything more than disdain.