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Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

theatlantic.com

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Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#121

Post by megy »

overcast wrote: post #86
sorokod wrote: post #52

In "the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" there is a story about a society that shipped out all its useless members (hairdressers and telephone sanitizers) off planet. If Douglas Adams was writing the book now he may have replaced sanitizers with influencers.

I think you vastly underestimate "influencers". Just replace that term with advertisers, because that's exactly what it is. Everyone is looking for the new advertising paradigm? You're looking at it. People are ACTIVELY following these people, and enjoying it.

> I think you vastly underestimate "influencers". Just replace that term with advertisers

I think you are wrong, they are more rock stars or sports celebrities.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#122

Post by charlesdm »

rhino369 wrote: post #95
staticautomatic wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not really how it works. The hotel puts up the influencer in the ludicrously expensive over-water bungalow or deluxe suite or whatever. Followers book the cheaper rooms hoping for the same experience.

That would be a good model, but in my experience, luxury hotels don't have cheap rooms.

Depends what you consider expensive of course. You're not going to find a 5-star hotel in London at £99 a night, no.

Then again, it's a 5-star hotel, so service will generally be good (and that is worth something in my view).

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#123

Post by FireBeyond »

megy wrote: post #116
futurix wrote: post #17

I just want to know who the heck takes recommendations of 'influencers' seriously? Gullible teens with no money?

Ok, you are looking for a place to stay, who do you trust? The owners website, a booking website with a million properties? Or someone you know online, like their work, and recommend only a few places? You have to trust someone.

> Or someone you know online

Following someone, and knowing them are different things.

> like their work

Which often is "selfies in different places"

> and recommend only a few places?

That they convinced to let them stay, visit, or eat for free...

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#124

Post by sopooneo »

staticautomatic wrote: post #108
andybak wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your concerns are themselves ironic. I'm so confused.

I don't understand what you're saying but would like to. What did you identify as my concerns and in what way are they ironic?

I think the joke is that you're choosing to upvote a post, and by proxy the person who wrote it, in relation to the horrifying "upvote" centered plot of the television episode quoted. It's upvotes all the way down.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#125

Post by shkkmo »

staticautomatic wrote: post #108
andybak wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your concerns are themselves ironic. I'm so confused.

I don't understand what you're saying but would like to. What did you identify as my concerns and in what way are they ironic?

Presumably the irony arises from your confusion as to if you should add or remove social reputation from a comment discussing an episode primarily about the near future of adding and removing social reputation.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#126

Post by qu1mby »

megy wrote: post #120
goatherders wrote: post #105

My GF has 18000 followers and gas worked hard for her brand to be meaningful as an influencer. She isnt just posting a picture sitting next to the pool. As a result she gets a number of things comped at hotels and restaurants, sometimes without even asking.

> sometimes without even asking. How do they know who she is then?

I believe a number of brands use software to monitor social channels for tags/locations related to their brand. This happens, of course, in near realtime and then it becomes fairly simple to identify them and start manufacturing instagrammable circumstances - comp'd bottle of wine, pretty amenities sent up to the room, etc.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#127

Post by goatherders »

megy wrote: post #120
goatherders wrote: post #105

My GF has 18000 followers and gas worked hard for her brand to be meaningful as an influencer. She isnt just posting a picture sitting next to the pool. As a result she gets a number of things comped at hotels and restaurants, sometimes without even asking.

> sometimes without even asking. How do they know who she is then?

She tags the restaurant or hotel while we are there. Then a $0 check will appear with thanks from the manager on duty.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#128

Post by goatherders »

futurix wrote: post #17

I just want to know who the heck takes recommendations of 'influencers' seriously? Gullible teens with no money?

This is what I thought. But then I learned that lots of young professionals with some disposable income take their Instagram feed very seriously. It influences brand decisions, where to eat, where to stay, where to be seen. You would be surprised - I was - how much a post by the right someone can drive revenue.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#129

Post by jhobag »

fredley wrote: post #73
21 wrote: post #34

I've seen something which I think is even more interesting. Second tier influencers (100k followers) paying expensive hotels and private plane trips of first tier influences (1 mil followers), so that they can appear on their feeds, and gain new followers.

This is straight up Black Mirror (season 3, episode 1: Nosedive ) Obviously the whole point of that episode was to imagine Instagram in its darkest future, but it's scary how much of it is becoming real, and separately with the roll-out of social credit scores in China. Scary stuff. --- Hansen: So in terms of quality, you could use a punch up right there. Ideally, that's up votes from quality people. Lacie: Quality p…

>Hansen: High fours. Impress those up-scale folks, you'll gain velocity on your arc and there's your boost.

somewhat similar appealing to google search the way to gaming instagram is by having famous people/big accounts/verified accounts comment and interact with ur account so you 1. appear in the activity for their followers 2. appear on the explore page for the potential new followers and more engagement, repeat ad nauseam

"organic growth"

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#130

Post by AndrewKemendo »

fredley wrote: post #73
21 wrote: post #34

I've seen something which I think is even more interesting. Second tier influencers (100k followers) paying expensive hotels and private plane trips of first tier influences (1 mil followers), so that they can appear on their feeds, and gain new followers.

This is straight up Black Mirror (season 3, episode 1: Nosedive ) Obviously the whole point of that episode was to imagine Instagram in its darkest future, but it's scary how much of it is becoming real, and separately with the roll-out of social credit scores in China. Scary stuff. --- Hansen: So in terms of quality, you could use a punch up right there. Ideally, that's up votes from quality people. Lacie: Quality p…

I guess I don't get creeped out about this because this is what happens already in life - but it's implicit and unacknowledged instead of explicit and acknowledged.

This same calculus happens at all levels: trying to be part of certain groups (Stanford graduate, YCombinator graduate etc...) , join certain clubs (Founders who have raised a Series A, Forbes 30 under 30), impress certain people (Investors, Board Members) etc... to get where you want. Just change the players depending on what you want out of life.

So if making it explicit makes you feel bad, then you probably feel bad about how things work already.

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