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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/may/01/fyre-festival-social-media-influencers-paid-content
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| Fyre festival: social media 'influencers' traded posts for lavish perks | Fyre festival: social media 'influencers' traded posts for lavish perks |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| The disastrous Fyre festival recruited hundreds of online personalities to advertise the event with social media promotions that did not disclose they were part of a marketing campaign, according to a leaked pitch deck. | The disastrous Fyre festival recruited hundreds of online personalities to advertise the event with social media promotions that did not disclose they were part of a marketing campaign, according to a leaked pitch deck. |
| The festival – which was billed as a luxury Bahamas getaway for the wealthy, but descended into chaos and lacked basic, functioning amenities – brought on more than 400 “influencers” with huge social media followings to publish promo videos and photos, Vanity Fair reported on Monday. | |
| Nick Bilton, the reporter who obtained the pitch deck, called it “one of the most preposterous invitations for outside capital that I have ever seen”, noting its use of cringe-worthy terms like the “Fyre Squad” to refer to festival employees and the “Fyre Starters” to describe social media celebrities. | Nick Bilton, the reporter who obtained the pitch deck, called it “one of the most preposterous invitations for outside capital that I have ever seen”, noting its use of cringe-worthy terms like the “Fyre Squad” to refer to festival employees and the “Fyre Starters” to describe social media celebrities. |
| But one of the most notable disclosures from the 43-page document is the fact that hundreds of models and online personalities, such as reality star Kendall Jenner and model Emily Ratajkowski, were given free flights, accommodation and tickets in exchange for promoting the event to fans. As Bilton noted, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has rules in place requiring that “influencers” who share promotional materials “clearly and conspicuously disclose their relationships to brands”. | |
| The FTC has repeatedly warned celebrities that they have to disclose paid sponsorships, most recently sending more than 90 letters to “influencers” and marketers after reviewing Instagram posts by celebrities, athletes and others, reminding them of the policies. | The FTC has repeatedly warned celebrities that they have to disclose paid sponsorships, most recently sending more than 90 letters to “influencers” and marketers after reviewing Instagram posts by celebrities, athletes and others, reminding them of the policies. |
| It’s unclear if regulators have received any complaints about the Fyre Festival. The FTC did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment on Monday night. | It’s unclear if regulators have received any complaints about the Fyre Festival. The FTC did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment on Monday night. |
| The festival – co-organized by rapper Ja Rule and described as being “closer to The Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies than Coachella” in a new lawsuit – claimed that its “Fyre Starters” posted promotions that reached over 300 million people in 24 hours. | The festival – co-organized by rapper Ja Rule and described as being “closer to The Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies than Coachella” in a new lawsuit – claimed that its “Fyre Starters” posted promotions that reached over 300 million people in 24 hours. |
| “These ambassadors stand as part of, and representative of, the Fyre tribe,” the pitch deck said, adding that these “key personalities” will “lead the attendance of an influential audience at the Fyre festival around the world and therefore your potential brand partners”. | |
| Many of the promoters – which also included models Bella Hadid, Nick Bateman and Hailey Baldwin – began deleting their posts about the festival as the controversy unfolded, and most had failed to label them as promotional in the first place, according to Vanity Fair. Some had previously posted Instagram pictures showing that they had arrived by private planes and were lounging before the festival began. | |
| This kind of deceptive advertising has become an increasing problem, leading the FTC to threaten a crackdown. | This kind of deceptive advertising has become an increasing problem, leading the FTC to threaten a crackdown. |
| Hadid and others associated with the event have issued half-hearted apologies since the festival unraveled. | Hadid and others associated with the event have issued half-hearted apologies since the festival unraveled. |