Most YouTubers use their gained audience to promote themselves and their friends on the site. Sometimes these vloggers are even asked by major companies to simply share their product with the subscribers that watch every week. An example of this is the It Can Wait campaign to support not texting and driving. A lot of the companies involved in this type of advertising and product placement, essentially, do not tell them what to say in the videos.
Microsoft has taken a similar approach to marketing the Xbox One with Machinima subscribers. Machinima being one of “the number one video entertainment network for gamers around the world, featuring gameplay videos, trailers, original series, livestreams, and the most up-to-date news for the gamer generation,” as self-described on their YouTube Channel.
Microsoft and Machinima team up!?
A leaked copy of the full agreement behind the deal, stated that vloggers “may not say anything negative or disparaging about Machinima, Xbox One, or any of its Games.” Essentially saying that video makers must speak positively of the Xbox One or not get paid. Also the agreement makes mention of video bloggers not disclosing that they are being paid to do so.
According to the contract, the campaign runs from January 13th to February 9th and participants get three dollars for every thousand views their campaign videos receive.
What do you think of this practice of paying people to say good things about your product? I know it goes on these days, do you think that this instance is ethical? There is a lot of evidence to suggest this type of marketing will go on in the future. With social media gaining momentum to its huge market of users, this could be the next new form of advertising that becomes mainstream.
