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Recent influencer sponsorships by popular brands, Tarte Cosmetics and Poppi, have created mass uproar by consumers. From tone-deaf influencer events, piles of unused PR, and exotic vacations, average consumers are fed up with brands.
THE POPPI VENDING MACHINE: THE BREAKDOWN
The increasingly popular prebiotic soda, Poppi, capitalizes its brand off being a healthy alternative for traditional soda with undeniably aesthetic packaging. Like many other popular modern brands, Poppi took off through social media, sponsoring influencers and celebrities like Post Malone, Darcy McQueeny, and Rachel Sullivan.
However, its recent sponsorship stunt has left consumers agitated. Influencers like Avery Woods, Jake Shane, and Emile Kieser were shipped full size, fully functional, vending machines filled with Poppi Soda before the Superbowl. This irritated consumers who already dissent Poppi’s steep prices, and led many to ponder alternative ways Poppi could have spent the money. Many claim the vending machines could have been installed in hospitals for healthcare workers, in schools for teachers, or in fire stations for those tirelessly fighting the LA fires. Instead, they gifted these vending machines to influencers who inherently already have the funds to afford those items.
TRIPPING WITH TARTE
In a similar way, popular cosmetic brand, Tarte, has been taking influencers to exotic destinations like Bora Bora and Dubai for ten years under their “Trippin With Tarte” initiative. Tarte capitalizes off the vacation content to help their new products gain traction, spoiling influencers with endless PR and excursions. These over the top vacations have aggravated consumers for years, as once again, influencers can afford these vacations while most of the general public can’t- trust me, I’m sure we would all love a free trip to Bora Bora. Many claim that the level of appreciation that influencers showcase doesn’t match with the perks they are being given, creating even more uproar.
On top of this yearly influencer pampering, Tarte’s 2025 event in Bora Bora was painfully disconnected from reality; hosting a “Tarte on Fire” theme, in the midst of the deadly and destructive LA fires. This tone deaf attempt to boost their company sales did just the opposite, leading influencers like Aspen Ovard to take down content regarding the party theme. Tarte responded with donations to LA fires, supporting recovery efforts, a haphazard effort to save their brand.
PR OVERKILL
PR packages from brands ranging from SKIMS, Summer Fridays, Rhode, Bloom, and many more pile up in the spare rooms of influencers across platforms. Influencers like Darcy McQueeny capitalize off of these packages, letting them accumulate and doing collective hauls of products. This sponsorship overkill not only is wasteful and damaging to the environment, but the products could be going to average individuals who support such companies with their hard earned money.
Although brand visibility and product popularity is an understandable reason to implement sponsorships, influencer marketing has no doubt become overkill in the past few years. Current brand sponsorship gives rise to the question of, when is brand partnership beneficial to brands and when is it a tone deaf overreach?