"But that's how the beauty industry has always been...it's quite a touchy subject."
This is a comment I recently received in response to an Instagram story I posted about a beauty brand using influencers and UGC (user-generated content) to advertise their neck cream. My issue wasn't with the content but with the highly, over-filtered appearance of the videos.
None of the women talking about the neck cream looked like they had ever suffered from "tech neck" or age-related lines. There were no before and after photos to show whether the product was truly effective. Instead, with the exception of one video, every single creator appeared to have poreless skin that was always in soft focus.
In other words, it was hard to believe anything coming out of the mouths of these sponsored creators.
This brings me back to the responder's comment on my story discussing my issues with the way the neck cream was being advertised. While, for the most part, I agree with them that this tends to be common practice, there are numerous exceptions. Not to mention, overly filtered videos or posts shouldn't be the norm.
1) Using filters could be considered a violation of the FTC's Truth in Advertising rules. In other words, these overly filtered, sponsored ads could be considered false advertising because anyone who buys this cream could assume their neck will look flawless and free from lines. It's highly unlikely this cream can accomplish such a feat.
2) Just because the beauty industry has always done this, doesn't make it right. Yes, photos have been retouched, sometimes a little too retouched, but there also has been a movement to show real skin. This is especially important when you want to demonstrate the efficacy of your skincare product.
3) Using deceptive advertising practices erodes trust between brands and consumers. When consumers don't trust a brand, they won't buy from the brand. Keep being deceptive, and there won't be a brand to buy from anymore.
4) If gimmicks are the only way a brand can sell their products, maybe they need to rethink their products or hire a better advertising agency to create better ideas.
Like my mom used to say, "If all your friends jumped off the roof, would you?"
The answer was always no. I liked my brain and my body to function properly.
In other words, beauty brands shouldn't be employing gimmicks, filters, scare marketing, false or overexaggerated claims to sell their products.
"That's the way it has always been done", is not a justifiable excuse. It's lazy, deceptive, and not very creative.
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