Celebrity endorsements have gone from the front of a Wheaties box to Online Influencers. From the Kardashians to make-up artist Huda Kattan, social media personalities are paid by advertisers to promote their products and the paychecks can be sizable.The practice, however,could be cooling. Social Media Expert Kami Huyse with Texas Travel Talk says Online Influencers are being used by brands to promote their products to the Influencers’ followers."There’s also a concern that we don’t know what impact they have on their followers buying the actual product.” There can also be some deceit involved --- bloggers can inflate the numbers of their followers and they can buy fake followers by the thousands which Kami says angers legitimate Influencers.
So - do you want your kids asking you to buy them something strictly because a Kardashian says she uses it? Huyse says, "I don’t think you really have a choice.That’s the era we live in. The question is: 'How are you working with your kids to show them what your values are so you can show them where the TRUE North Star is!'" Huyse says the practice will continue. "We've always had celebrity endorsements, but I feel the Wild West Days of Influncers is coming to an end."