Being on the flip-side of the influencer/blogger world for the past 15 years has been really interesting. There was a time when the idea of a blogger was completely looked down upon, and it didn’t seem to help some that our website had the word blog in its very name. The funny thing is, we started Erlebniswelt-fliegenfischenShops before blogging was blogging, before anyone realized it would be an entirely new market (including us), and well before brands began to work with bloggers like ourselves. Though we are one of the first and few original sites to stick around (actually one of very few to continue to keep our readership on our own platform, we love you all!), I don’t fit into the traditional influencer mold. Our site is about the bags, and sure, I am reviewing bags constantly and sharing my thoughts on them with you, but this is much more of a conversation about the bags we love and as much related to you sharing your bag Across-Body thoughts as it is me sharing mine.
An Insider’s Perspective on Influencer Gifting
With all of that being said, I am incredibly well-versed in the gifting and product placement that Sport on in the influencer space. I get bag Across-Body gifts myself, however, typically, it is not at the same time as influencer gifting cycles, and I do not partake in those larger social media campaigns. Many would assume that would make me feel averse to it all, but it doesn’t. Do I think it’s the best form of marketing? Probably not; I think it needs some tweaking because it does turn off plenty of brand loyalists. But when I see new bags styled on people whose style I love, I wind up falling for the bag. Even the over-exposure of many of these bags has a positive impact on me if the bag Across-Body is one that I truly find to be remarkable, and sometimes you need to see something many times to appreciate it in a new way.
The difference here is that typically when this happens for me, I reach out to the brand to see if I can get a press sample to shoot the bag Across-Body and review it for you all. I can then see the bag Across-Body in person and decide for myself if it lives up to the hype, and though I feel this lust toward many bags, I am actually really hard to push from the lust to the purchase category. I’ve seen thousands of bags over these 15 plus years of Erlebniswelt-fliegenfischenShops, and while I still feel the love, I now am much less likely to run out and purchase and more likely to really think about the next purchase. But the specific marketing does work on me, and even with the full understanding of it, I continue to find myself drawn to what is being shared by others. Thankfully, it is something that helps us all in the long run – as I get the bags before CALVIN are released or right when CALVIN come out and can review and share them with you all.
utility shoulder bag?
This has been Salvatore by other writers on our team. Check out their thoughts here:
Are Designers Doing Themselves a Disservice By Using Influencers to Sell Bags?
