Professional Opinions

[displacedtexan]

I said neutral. That's by far the most common outcome.

But if it does have an impact, it's almost always negative. As in "Oh, they give that idiot money? Well, I'm not indirectly supporting him!"

I consume very little hunting social media though. (The response spreads across everything I spend money on.)

 

[cnelk]

If someone is endorsing something, that item better have some blood stains and wear and tear on it.

Nuthin worse than wanna be influencers whoring out a brand new product

 

[tdhanses]

Neutral, if something looks interesting and if I have enough interest I’ll try it. I also look for views others may have on it here.

Prefer the opinions of those that paid for items or items members here review and can give an honest opinion on, have to weed through the fan boys but they are easy to spot.

I think mfg would save money doing give aways asking for honest reviews if they really believe in their products, but anymore they add too much marketing bs in give aways to be worth it, such as share, like, post whatever for extra chances.

 

[OXN939]

Hey guys, thanks for the input. Interesting but not surprising results.

Several posters have alluded to the question of what an "influencer" is, which I think is the root of the question. Clearly, the vast majority of outdoorsmen consider it to be a pejorative term. Yes, there has always been an outdoors industry with people marketing products, but it appears that the number of people doing things like poaching, blowing spots out, using dangerous hunting techniques or generally embarrassing themselves and our sport has increased exponentially since social media came around and made seeking attention as easy as creating a profile.

I totally understand these companies' viewpoint. Social media isn't going anywhere and influencers are an effective way to reach a specific audience for almost no cost, but it appears that's where the thought process usually stops. Maybe it's possible to come up with a slightly more responsible marketing plan than simply throwing free stuff at the people with the most followers... because as it turns out, being a responsible outdoorsman doesn't usually get the most likes.

 

[S.Clancy]

I would normally say nuetral, but I avoid anything certain people "use" (sell). *cough cough, "Gritty" cough*