Welcome to the second part of the series where we discuss the surveys I conduct via my Instagram Stories @skinunmasked. Today we’re talking about advertising: how it shapes our own body image and how it can both bring trust and cause issues. More than 500 people have commented on this difficult topic. See what can be drawn from the surveys!
Question #1 – I want ‘anti-aging’ products ads to feature people with visible signs of skin aging.
- 91% – Yes
- 9% – No
The vast majority wants to see the target group of anti-aging products in their ads – me included. I would love to see ads that don’t improve reality, after all cosmetics have a fairly limited scope of action when it comes to reversing the effects of time visible on the skin. Are 25-year-olds showing a particular serum’s wrinkle-ironing claims credible? I don’t think so. This is done brilliantly by the Trinny London brand – with them we always see a wide variety of skins of all ages, up to very mature, always without retouch. Commendable!
Question #2 – I want ’acne-prone’ product ads to to feature people with visible blemishes.
- 95% – Yes
- 5% – No
Much like in the previous question, here, too, the vast majority is in favor of ads depicting the true target group of these products. Let’s remember that acne is a chronic disease that is difficult to treat, and similarly, acne-prone skin is a chronic condition that significantly affects psychological well-being. Depicting perfect skin in advertisements for products designed to help with acne can exacerbate the psychological discomfort of those affected by acne who the ads are targeted to, after all.
Question #3 – I agree that I feel worse about myself when seeing ads.
- 71% – Yes
- 29% – No
This was a question I was particularly curious about – we often hear that ads make us look at ourselves more critically. Practically 2/3 of you agreed with this statement. What is the reason for this? All signs point to the fact that the most negatively charged issue when it comes to our self-perception is the retouch of complexion and body shape. Many ad images are impossible to achieve without many other interventions that exceed the scope of the advertised product, and often achieving this ideal image is not possible in real life at all. What is even more disturbing is that young people who use TikTok and Instagram are exposed (unfortunately, sometimes in advertisements as well) to filters that alter their facial features, and those filters can make them want to look like their filtered appearances. These people often visit aesthetic medicine clinics and show their filtered image as the target effect. I don’t think I need to mention how dangerous this phenomenon is for young people’s self-esteem.
Question #4 – What do you want to see normalised in advertisements?
Open-ended question. The most common answers were:
- Real skin: pores, texture, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, acne scars, dark circles.
- Lack of makeup and retouching in ads for skin care products
- Diversity of people in ads: age 50+, different genders, skin tones, body shapes and sizes, not just classic, perfect and young models.
Interesting observations were made about the use of “before and after” photos. Many people wrote that they wanted to see them, but with some reservations. The most common was the transparency of use of other active cosmetics or in-clinic treatments between photos – after all, they can bend the depicted images’ credibility. Another interesting point of view is that the ‘before’ photo is sometimes interpreted as a suggestion that there is something wrong with the skin. This problem is somewhat solved by Charlotte Tilbury, where the photos are described “beautiful before” and “beautiful after”.
Question #5 – I prefer ads created by influencers to ads created by brands.
- 37% – Yes
- 63% – No.
I expected a lot of possible outcomes here. After all, the approach to influencers is quite personal and strongly depends on one’s point of view, who one follows and what attitude one has towards the influencer phenomenon as a whole. That’s why I’ll expand my thoughts on the comment under the next question.
Question #6 – If you prefer brand ads to influencer ads – why?
Open ended question. The most common answers were:
- Influencers are not credible / do not inspire trust (unless they are educated in their field of expertise).
- Influencer ads often scream “buy now!”
- The impression that some influencers want to force authenticity in ads, being pretentiously emotional instead of focusing on knowledge, substance or cutting edge aesthetics.
- Visual quality of ads, consistency and power of messaging is usually better in brands
- Repeating ad content on multiple influencer accounts
- Recommending products only after a few days after getting them (especially retinoids!)
- Responsibility for content and promises is more direct with brands, while with influencers it is often blurred.
This is a very complicated topic, and being both an influencer and somebody who consumes a lot of influencer content I understand both points of view. I don’t want to judge your impressions here, I would simply like to clarify a few points.
Are influencers not credible? Certainly not all of them, but with education and titles as a determinant of trust, one has to be careful, and I say this as an MD. There is such a phenomenon as ‘authority bias’, a phenomenon that makes it easier to believe people who are educated, hold academic titles, social status, and even wear lab coats, even if these people are not right. I’ll say more, some people use their titles to spread myths and attract viewers with sensationalist content. I’ve seen a lot of people (especially in the U.S.) – derms, estheticians, and other healthcare professionals, creating content full of misinformation. On the other hand there are also content creators with little to no formal education in their account’s topic, who care a lot about fact-checking their content. You might ask – how to recognize a trustworthy person? Unfortunately, it is not easy. My red flags are, for example, not disclosing collaborations and not being transparent about possible conflicts of interest, exaggerated admiration of products without having put them on the skin, and unwillingness to admit a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is the reaction to being called out that is most important for me.
Another thing is the impression that influencers encourage buying too much. This is not entirely the fault of influencers (of which I am one, too, after all), but the principle of how collaborations work. Brands commissioning the creation of advertising material want to see a cost return – in terms of reach, sales or increased brand prestige/awareness. As a result, the requirements for sponsored posts sometimes include clauses about purchase incentives, discount codes and the like. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Rarely is there ill will behind the intentions of the person creating the ad. I personally try to make my discount codes not time-limited to avoid creating purchase pressure, but sadly not every brand agrees to this. The same goes for similar ads appearing on multiple accounts at the same time – often several influencers are hired by a brand for one campaign with similar content to include in their ads. This is more of a message to brands and PR agencies – make sure there is more variety in the timing and content of publications within a single campaign, as the overkill effect can prove counterproductive.
Regarding responsibility for the content of ads – each influencer ad is reviewed by the brand/agency commissioning it before publication. Responsibility for its content is shared by both parties. If an influencer exaggerates, it is the brand’s role to tame their declaration. If the brand pushes to exaggerate the facts or product performance, it is the influencer’s role to negotiate or reject the collaboration in question.
If you have any questions – feel free to leave them under this post! Let’s discuss!
