Have you ever received this comment?
"We love your content and would love to work with you! Please DM us to learn more"
How about this DM?
"Hi! We saw your page and would love to sponsor your cosplay by offering you 15% off any product on our site and provide you a discount code to your followers!"
Well I hate to break it to you, but this is not a sponsorship. This is a marketing tactic to get you to buy their items and then convince your followers to also buy their items.
I'm a receiver of both of these messages. I remember the first time I got the comment, it was an Instagram page full of echi t-shirts. I was a small account of less than 250 followers and I was so excited, even though I don't even wear that type of thing. I DMed them and then they offered me 2 shirts for the price of 1 in exchange for 3 posts and a code for my little group of followers. I immediately knew that it wasn't a sponsorship and blocked them. A few weeks later they did it again, but from a different account. I blocked again. This happened a few more times, but now I think I've finally managed to block all of their pages. Or get the point across.
Just after Thanksgiving of 2019 I posted on my Instagram story about my cat, Pixie. A few days later I got a sponsored Instagram story from @madebymeows saying that they were looking for owners of cute pets to become sponsors. I have a cute kitty so I responded. The company sells pet bandannas and matching headbands for humans. They replied to me saying that they wanted to sponsor me. They asked what product on their website I liked best, so I told them. They then offered me a 40% off code that I and my friends and family could use.
This means that 60% of the cost of the item is likely used for manufacturing purposes and to generate a minor profit, and the remaining 40% cost of the item is pure profit or he margin of cost where they feel that they can actually afford to loose that cash. Overall this isn't a bad tactic, but it's not a sponsorship or brand ambassador program. And while they don't ever actually state that it is one, by reading it you can tell that that's what they're hoping you take it as.
It's probable that all of the messages sent are all copy and paste messages. The only one that I suspect could even be a not copy and paste message (excepting where they make the special code, but likely it's copy and paste with a space to insert the code) is the last one where they offer a free gift in my order. The only reason that I feel that this could be a personalized message is for the following reasons.
Firstly, they used an emojji which doesn't seem to follow their pattern. Prior they had used punctuation to create faces and such, but here it is an emoji. Secondly, this was only said once I had said no, meaning that the person actually sending the messages probably had instructions to send the offer after the person that they were DMing has said no or ignored them for x amount of time.
A true sponsorship or brand ambassador program is where the company sends you items for free to review publicly or to make x amount of posts about. You can get a discount code in many cases as well, but you would get the item for free. You would not purchase it, and you also wouldn't purchase x amount of items to get one for free. That is just a special discount. Additionally, many companies who are serious about their ambassador or sponsorship programs will email you directly or have an application on their website. It's sad to see so many people caught up in the idea that a company full of people truly care about them, a small time cosplayer, and doesn't realize that you're just giving their marketing team an opportunity to be lazy.
Another recent example I have of a fake sponsorship that I have for you is when @bossbabesco also had a sponsored Instagram story that I responded for.
At this time I do want to take a moment to just say that I am not looking for a sponsorship (but if you want to sponsor me feel free! I love to gush about stuff and have pretty good engagement for a small account), but that I was looking to get content for this article. I did not feel that it would be right to spout off words without an example of what I was speaking about. And as a side, this article did ruin my sponsored posts in both my feed and in my story for a good few months. All I saw was pages asking for brand ambassadors.
Here it was roughly the same tactic as @madebymeows, but there was one major difference. They were preying on women who want to feel empowered. They had a target audience for who they wanted to be a brand ambassador and were taking advantage of women who fit that idea.
As you can see, they did not want to answer questions when asked directly and this is likely because they were, again, copy and paste messages. They also felt vague when speaking to me ("about 25% of profits", "various organizations"). For all I know they could be a one-man drop shipping online store and have set up a fake organization where they donate to themselves. I do realize that it's a far stretch, but when a company reaches out to you or is discussing something like this they should be more specific and direct, as well as be open to answering any questions that the person may have (given that the questions are not asking for personal or private information).
Additionally, the rep apparently named Megan also said that she made the code "Babe" for me. This is such a vague code that it really leads me to believe that this entire conversation, down to the code, is just one long copy and paste or bot. Even when I predicted what they were going to do they didn't say anything in response to it and then proceeded to do EXACTLY what I said that they would do. It's frustrating to feel like you're speaking to a machine or a robot (which I suppose is the same thing?), and small companies or pages like this don't seem to get that what we want from our experience is to also feel like our purchase matters.
Don't get me wrong, copy and paste responses are not bad. In fact they can be good for FAQs. I use copy and pastes for my photography page when sending out contract form links, availability at cons, and other small FAQs. It saves me time and makes sure that I say everything I want to say for that message. But it's quite frequently that I edit those, and if a potential client asks a questions that I don't have a FAQ copy and paste for then I go and type out an actual answer for them. It's called running a small business.
@bossbabesco also didn't let the issue rest. After the message where I said that "babe" was not a personalized code about 4 days passed when they sent a follow up message encouraging me, again, to follow through on their offer. That is when I told them outright that I would not purchase.
What these two offers are in reality are affiliate offers and part of a larger affiliate marketing plan. This image below is extremely helpful in understanding how affiliate plans work. Note that you don't always earn a commission as an affiliate, sometimes this step is skipped. And if they don't offer the compensation, then it's a scam and they company is just using you to try and make sales.
For examples of actual sponsorships, a great example is Arda Wig's sponsorship program. I reached out to Arda and asked a few questions about how their sponsorships work. This will be a direct copy and paste of my questions and their responses.
Question: I know that those selected for sponsorship must do something with their wigs, but do they get to select the wig or is it randomly assigned? Answer: Seasonal cosplay sponsors will select the wig they would like for their next project. Occasionally we will approach a cosplayer who has shown exceptional work doing a specific technique or character and ask them to do a specific wig or style, but those scenarios are not the same as seasonal sponsorships and are always requested up front.
Question: The wig that the cosplayer receives, is it free or must the cosplayer pay for a portion of the wig? Also, do they pay for shipping? Answer: Sponsored wigs and shipping are always free via domestic and First Class international mail. If an international sponsor would like to upgrade the type of shipping, they are requested to pay for the difference.
Question: Why could someone be declined for a sponsorship and what are some factors when choosing who to sponsor? Answer: Arda Wigs receives numerous sponsorship requests daily, and we cannot offer sponsorship to everyone. We select a predetermined number every season based on our budget and our yearly goals and opportunities, via an application process in which we assess the cosplayer's portfolio, skills, and goals for the year. In exchange, we request photos and/or social media content. Many factors are considered in our selection process, and we do take great care to give equal opportunities to everyone and showcase the diversity of the cosplay community.
Question: There is the seasonal sponsorship, but is there anyone who is sponsored year round? Answer: We do have a small handful of sponsored individuals who work with us regularly.
As you can see, Arda Wigs does not ask those being sponsored to pay for anything (unless it's upgraded shipping). They also reach out to or will choose for seasonal sponsorship who they feel would fit what they are looking for. Likely there is a requirement of how many followers an account has too, but this makes logical sense as they are providing an item for free and thus do expect something in return.
As far as a great brand ambassadorship program then look no further than Uniglitter Labs. I spoke to brand ambassador CosplayByKayla regarding what her experience as a brand ambassador for Uniglitter Labs was like. Note that I did speak to her in January of 2020 so her answers reflect her experience as of a few months ago.
Kayla has been super sweet and helpful in the past when I had questions about the company products. I hopefully will get to meet her one day, but alas, it isn't yet.
Question: The first question I gave is one of the major issues in false sponsorships and brand deals is the cosplayer getting a very small discount on the item and then being told they are required to make x amount of posts. With Uniglitter, how do sponsorships work in terms of compensation and responsibilities Answer: With Uniglitter there was no specific set of requirements in posting. We ambassadors share our looks with their products, do stories, swatches, and the like all because we want to. In return we receive free product and our followers get to use our coupon codes for 20% off. Now if you join as an ambassador just to get free glitter and then you never post about them, tag them, or share them and you just never promote them, then they’ll drop you, as any self respecting brand would do in my opinion.
Question: What do you feel was a deciding factor for Uniglitter to select you for their brand ambassador program? Large following aside, what makes you unique? Answer: For Uniglitter it’s really all about who you are as a person and how much you engage with your audience. I definitely don’t have as high of a following as some of their other ambassadors, but I engage with my audience, I tag and share as it fits with my content schedule, and we just clicked (we as in the members of [Uniglitter] and myself).
Question: How long have you been an ambassador for? And have you gotten to meet anyone from the Uniglitter team? Or has it all been digital for you so far? Answer: I believe it’s been about a year and a half now? And yeah! I’ve met the team that started it all and have helped name a few colors as well as add input on the looks of some colors. I also know a few ambassadors as personal friends and have met some others at cons.
As a side here, CosplayByKayla helped to name Arctic Unicorn, Steampunk Unicorn, and was part of the creation process for Champagne, all three of which I own!
Question: Did you reach out to uniglitter via their website application or did they reach out to you? Answer: I met them at Hero Hype Orlando 2018 and talked to them. They said if I was interested they have an application on their website and then it just went from there.
Question: So you did go through the application process but you knew them prior via a con conversation and that’s how you learned about the program? Answer: Yup yup!
Here I'd like to take a moment to say that when talking to Uniglitter they also expressed that they are currently looking for male ambassadors. They're not taking applications via their website currently, so if you're a guy who loves glitter then try reaching out to them and seeing if there is any opportunity there for you.
Question: Have you ever been a brand ambassador for any other businesses? And if so, were the experiences similar? Answer: I have not as a cosplayer but my dog is an ambassador for a couple local pet accessory shops 😅 it’s approximately the same dealio.
Question: Do you have an advice for those who have received brand ambassador comments or DMs asking them to buy a product at a discount? Answer: The accounts who post the generic comments asking you to DM them to be an ambassador are usually just trying to get you to buy something at a discount to be their ambassador. With a company like Uniglitter, buying a product wasn’t a requirement to be an ambassador. If you and the company mesh and share the same outlook on that product, that’s your best bet. Just go with your gut and it’ll all work out
What @CosplayByKayla said mirrors what is the proper relationship between a company and a brand ambassador. If you google "do brand ambassadors pay for the product" then even Google will tell you that no, they do not pay for the product. Some brand ambassadors even get paid beyond receiving the free item, though do note that for this you have to so often have a serious following and be know outside of a small and niche group, like a Victoria's Secret model, a YouTuber, actor, or some other type of celebrity.
All of this to say, lease don't be fooled by fake sponsorships or brand ambassador offers. They are either scams or affiliate marketing plans under a cheap disguise.
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