As in, would the channel be losing out on money? Because I don’t want to take away from small creators if there is a retention rate for viewership of that exact segment, but I would prefer to skip any of the “but first check out this shitty mobile game”.
I won’t sit through a non-organic product placement. If I’m watching a guy weld up a body panel and he tells me how great a welder is, it doesn’t bother me. If I’m watching and he starts telling me about his VPN or a phone game, that shit’s getting skipped.
You know how I like to prepare for replacing a carburetor? PLAYING RAID: SHADOW LEGENDS!
Product placement has got to the point where if a YouTuber genuinely wants to recommend a product he’s got to be like “seriously guys I didn’t get paid for this and I even paid my own money for this welder, this is not a sponsorship, I just think it’s really good and you should check it out”
I watch several channels where people just mow lawns or do other landscaping work (it’s my version of ASMR; doing yard work was a nostalgic childhood memory of mine).
One of the guys I watch bragged about how amazing his riding mower was. He swore up and down he wasn’t a shill for the company, and he even painted over their logo so he wasn’t inadvertently advertising their brand on his channel. But he said it was the best mower he’s used in decades of work.
I really like when they drink the green goo and pretend it’s the best.
It seems like a lot of businesses have a turnkey affiliate/referral rewards program. Like how anyone can go set up Amazon affiliate links.
But the creator presents it as a sponsorship. “Today’s video is sponsored by SquareSpace!”
No it’s not, you’re just posting your affiliate link.