Nowadays, being an influencer is a job like any other. Or rather a form of business. In other words, an influencer is an entrepreneur who has some influence over his followers. But they don’t always choose the right path, which is why we made a survey where we asked the Czechs what they disliked the most about Instagram influencers. At the same time, we discussed the issue with Czech actress and influencer Anna Kadeřávková. What annoys her the most?
Anna Kadeřávková's view of Instagram influencers
Well-known actress Anna Kadeřávková is also a popular and experienced influencer. Her Instagram account already has 320,000 followers, so she has to double-check everything she publishes on her account. What exactly is this charismatic blonde trying to avoid in influencer marketing?
"Right now, it's definitely spreading negativity, in any form. The current situation is getting on everyone’s nerves. In my opinion, it is okay to vent it on social networks sometimes, if one has the urge. Personally, I try to share, for example, tips on what people can do during these days, what they can enjoy. And I also try to avoid disproportionate advertising, both in number or inconsistency with a brand that isn’t a good fit for my profile,"
Anička told our editorial staff, before opening about the things for which her followers blame her the most.
Luxusní byt na prodej s terasou a výhledem, Praha 1
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"People mainly complain about advertising, but that's more or less a trend nowadays, I’d say. If you don’t leave a jab or hate on someone’s profile, your day is not complete. I accept constructive criticism, but 99% of it are needlessly offensive cries into the dark. Influencers earn their money through advertising, and when it's tasteful, I don't see any reason or room for negative feedback. If it bothers someone, nobody’s forcing them to keep following my profile."
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Anna KadeřávkováSource: Foto se souhlasem Anny Kadeřávkové
The charming actress, who often travels between our republic and Slovakia due to work duties, also honestly told us what typically annoys her about Instagram influencers.
"I don't want to judge anyone, as they say - everyone does what they can. But in general, it’s very unpopular, for example, when someone accepts a large number of offers for advertising and fails to post other photos in between, piling one advertisement after another. It makes the impression that the person is shallow and that they’re only doing it for money, which may not be the case, but it does look that way. Or when the collaborations seem strange, in the sense that I don't trust the influencer. But in this case, it’s also a mistake on the part of companies that don’t think too much about which influencer to choose and approach the wrong one. And the last, but probably most important thing is communication with fans, the people following you. If an influencer is good at what they’re doing, they can build a cool community of hundreds of thousands of people on his profile, and that's simply amazing. Of course, it can also be the other way round; if your approach and communication go against them, they’ll be at your throat."
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Reklamy Anny Kadeřávkové působí přirozeně Source: Foto se souhlasem Anny Kadeřávkové
What do Czech people find most annoying about Instagram influencers?
We were so interested in this topic that, in addition to addressing Anička, we posted a survey on social networks in which people could answer the question "What annoys you the most about Instagram influencers?" The answers were varied, but some repeated a lot. We have selected the 7 most frequent ones:
In the eyes of Czechs, too many ads on Instagram are the biggest problem, especially in Instastories. Many people simply perceive influencers as walking flyers that would do anything for money.
"I’m sick of all the ads and discount codes. They’re really everywhere these days,"
a young woman responded to our survey.
The bag with discount codes went through the roof lately, and the explanation is simple. Through them, companies can easily get an overview of the real benefit each influencer has for them. But too much is too much, and this "code mania" is starting to get on the nerves of the Czechs. The question is, how long will discount codes serve their purpose? We guess that they’re not being used quite as much as they used to be, because their efficiency decreases along with their increasing number.
2. Unmarked ads
People often complain about influencer posts that aren’t marked as advertising. Cooperation between brands and influencers is a form of advertising, which falls mainly under Act No. 40/1995 Coll. on the regulation of advertising, but also under the Act on Consumer Protection 634/1992 Coll. It follows that it should definitely be publicly acknowledged, noticeable and correctly labelled as #paidpartnership or at least as #collaboration. Hidden advertising is illegal and can result in fines. It doesn't really matter if you got paid for the advertising or if it was"only" a gift.
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Německá influencerka Vreni FrostSource: Profimedia.cz
As of yet, there has been no high profile case of an influencer penalized for an unmarked sponsored post in the Czech Republic. However, we don't have to go far for an example, because in the neighbouring Germany, blogger Vreni Frost, a beauty and lifestyle influencer who has over 53,000 followers, recently had to face repercussions. She was fined € 178.50 for adding a photo with a product on Instagram without marking it as sponsored content.
3. Promotion and recommendation of untested products
Recommendations of untested products also irritate people in the Czech Republic quite a bit.
"Influencers promote anything just for cooperation and they don’t even try it out themselves,"
a young woman responded to our survey.
Let's take an example. As soon as an influencer receives a package, they immediately start telling his followers, "These are really great products!" Such praise seems premature and doesn’t inspire much trust. Another exemplary case is a product that requires regular use to have a visible effect, which makes it rather illogical to recommend it when you’ve tried it only a few times, or possibly just once.
5. Dishonesty and lies
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Anna Šulcová schytala za účast ve vládní kampani obrovskou kritikuSource: Profimedia.cz/Show Jana Krause
Very often, one-word answers such as insincerity, hypocrisy and falsehood appeared among the responses. Not all influencers are honest with their fans, and some followers can spot the lies. Dishonesty also reflects in advertisements that don’t fit the person in question at all. In this case, influencers should choose products they really use so as not to have to pretend. In the end, this works against them.
At this point, we also need to mention questionable competitions that often reek of fraud. Same as with discount codes, influencers feed us with competition after competition. But they should make sure to thoroughly check the authenticity of each competition, else they might be perceived as fraudsters.
6. Vanity and arrogance
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Nela Slováková je často kritizovaná za arogantní chováníSource: Profimedia.cz
Czech people seem to believe that, many influencers are conceited or arrogant people who think that they don’t have to go to work like ordinary citizens.
"All today's influencers care about are Instagram numbers and they pose as big entrepreneurs,"
wrote one of the respondents in our survey.
It’s true that some influencers should really return put their feet back on the ground and think realistically, because, like beauty, Instagram is fleeting. This is where we’d like to add on behalf of our editorial staff that many influencers have unreasonable requirements and that some of them behave irresponsibly during the cooperation, which is a pity.
6. Bad example
Criticism of the way influencers behave also appeared in the survey. According to the Czechs, some influencers display terrible behaviour and have a bad influence on their followers. It is vulgarity, ridicule of others or an overly controversial way of expression, to name a few examples.
"It bothers me when they promote bad behaviour without realizing how many people (especially children) are watching them,"
wrote a young man.
Some influencers should really think about what they want to let out into the world and in what form from time to time. Or, as they say, measure twice and cut once.
7. Mom blogs
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Dominika Kadlecová patří mezi oblíbené influencerské maminkySource: Foto se souhlasem Dominiky Kadlecové
Another issue that often appeared among the answers was criticism of the so-called "mom blogs", of which we can find a ton on Instagram. But not everyone has an understanding for those happy mothers...
"It bothers me that all the great influencer sites are turning into mom blogs,"
wrote a young girl.
We think that Czech Instagram users should show more understanding for this, because family is the most important thing in the world for many of us!
Whatever problem you might have with influencers, you do have to come to terms with one thing. Influencers are trendy and will remain popular at least for a little while longer. If something they do really upsets you, unfollow them or try dropping a message in their inbox. Maybe they’ll read it and give it some thought, because influencers often like to listen to their followers. Before we part, we’d like to ask you one last question: What do YOU find most annoying about Instagram influencers? If you’d like to mention something we haven’t included in this article, don’t be afraid to leave us a comment.
