If you’re not living in isolation from all human communication, you’ve probably heard of Fyre Festival by now. The Netflix documentary took the world by storm, exposing the fraudulent story behind the catastrophic ‘VIP’ island party. For those of you who haven’t yet witnessed the Fyre festival disaster unravel on Netflix or Hulu, you probably caught the infamous memes showcasing the (lack of) festival food and luxury camping accommodation; stale cheese sandwiches and half-built huts to sleep in was the sad reality.
This unimaginable outcome has sparked a serious discussion in the ethical responsibility of influencer marketing as a whole. For the promotion of what is now tagged ‘the greatest party that never happened’, A-list celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, took to marketing on social media, posting alluring pictures and videos of an experience far removed from the resulting reality. To make matters worse, their sponsored association with the Fyre event was never initially disclosed, making the models’ support appear personal and genuine.
This blurring of lines between an authentic endorsement and one that is paid for on a content-rich platform is what makes influencer marketing on social media so powerful. You can be scrolling through Instagram and see your friend post a delicious-looking meal from a new local cafe and minutes later, watch a celebrity’s story of them promoting a new Smoothie King flavor and find yourself as keen on trying them both. On the other hand, if you had come across a promotional post from the proprietary establishments themselves, it is likely you would not be influenced the same way. This is how the use of influencers essentially creates a digital word-of-mouth marketing campaign. As such, the responsibility of the influencer rests in the validity of the message they are supporting.
Shortly after the havoc of the failed luxury music festival, Billy McFarland, Fyre Media Inc. CEO, filed for bankruptcy, guaranteeing against any compensation to the four thousand guests and third-party investors. Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has since cracked down heavily on the use of influencers social media for marketing, to ensure that all sponsored or paid-for content is clearly labelled.
But if you’re looking for an upcoming, sure-bet music festival that has thrived on the authenticity of the experience they consistently deliver, then look out for Glastonbury, from 26 – 30 June ‘19, featuring headliners like Stormzy, The Cure, The Killers, Tame Impala, Kylie Minogue, Janelle Monae and Miley Cyrus amongst others! If you’re more of an EDM fan, check out the Creamfields lineup (22 -25 August ‘19) which includes sets from deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia, The Chemical Brothers, Martin Garrix and Carl Cox. Other world-acclaimed festivals to look out for in 2019, are Boomtown, Download, Lovebox, South West Four and Reading & Leeds . Once you’ve got your hands on your festival ticket, head over to SmartBuyGlasses and check out the perfect collection of festival-friendly sunglasses, LMNT. For tips on styling your festival sunglasses, check out this post!
