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OpenAI is enlisting an influencer army to make it look 'good for the world'

221 points · 209 comments · cdrnsf

  1. ffsm8 · · focus · HN ↗
    It continued to blow my mind that the influencer industry is a thing that works.

    I'm not questioning it. I know it does. I just cannot wrap my head around it beyond the initial marketing angle (you cannot be interested in an article unless you know it exists).

    Eg I like to watch some pretty mainstream creators like mkbhd. Never was I actually interested in any of the products he pitched. Literally every marketing $ spent on him that ultimately reached my eyeballs was entirely wasted by the sponsors

    1. ipsod · · focus · HN ↗
      Is it any more surprising than other forms of marketing, like commercials that force themselves in between you and what you actually want to watch?
      1. ffsm8 · · focus · HN ↗
        To me, yes.

        After all the delivery is different.

        With traditional advertising you're being sold a fantasy. The advertisment is usually produced so you're self-inserting yourself into the production. So when you're seeing the fit and good looking cowboy smoking a Marlboro... You subconsciously think: that's who I wanna be, and consequently may be more likely to buy it.

        Influencer marketing is however inherently contextualized to the para social relationship between the viewer and the creator. The people that buy the product do so because "their" creator told them about it.

        At least that's been the feeling I've got on every sponsorship pitching to date. It's aimed at people that want to get closer to the Creator. At least in their head.

        1. [deleted] · · focus · HN ↗

          [deleted]

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