I am going to speak of risk first namely scandal and arrest. Jared from Subway is the best example. He wasn't just arrested it is what he was arrested for and all the subsequent documentaries and videos later painted a disturbing picture. He was a major influencer for Subway and that position gave him greater access to do wrong. Without money and notoriety, there would be no travel and limited exposure to underage youth (only in his community and online). Jared brought disgrace and shame to his family this is a long-lasting impact that follows his kids and ex-wife.

My introduction to Titan Fitness, Rouge, and Rep Fitness was thanks to my man Gluck from YouTube. I watched a lot of his videos which led me to build my own home gym. I have equipment from Bells of Steel, Valor, Fringe, Titan, Grind, and most recently Eleiko. My equipment consists of plates (over 900 pounds), a power rack, a farmer's walk, a safety squat bar, dumbbell handles, a powerlifting bar, a training bar, and plate storage. With influencers, you can use discount codes that are in the links on their videos but I use the discount codes that the companies provide plus Black Friday sales. I also follow Gluck on Instagram and have won an incline bench from one of his promos. Yes, he mailed it to me and his home gym, family (they just had a baby and already have a son). Gluck and his wife train with the equipment and give product reviews filled with humor. Their home gym is filled with everything and I watched as they expanded it, watching his friends take equipment out and bring it back in after finishing.

Gluck's Gym is the page. His product reviews led me to look at companies I didn't know about and price comparisons between similar products. Some of the vendors have free shipping and others don't so he lets you know it is your budget you decide if shipping is a concerning factor. Gluck has been effective in my buying from certain companies. He points out price, shipping time, and even where products are made. The reviews are honest because he has to buy the equipment and justify it to Wynie his wife which is really funny. He does sell off equipment to buy more equipment so he makes room for more stuff.

"With the rise of social media, we all learned marketers are no longer a brand's sole owners. Today's consumers function as a brand's amplifiers, sharing what they think and feel with the people around them. Everyone is a marketer today and a very powerful one. What consumers say, share and do can literally make or break a brand (Schillewaert 2020)." Gluck doesn't intentionally try to hurt a brand but there are products he will buy to dispute claims by the manufacturer. Such as a cheap power rack on Amazon that they claim will hold 1200 lbs of weight without a problem. He will load a bar with say 800 pounds and push it down onto the safety catch bars. He does this in his driveway and he backs up quickly. I have seen the safety catches bend and I have seen bars bent because of these experiments and this helps the consumer who was thinking of going the cheap route make a better-informed purchasing decision. The dual benefit of this is safety and value. You will get what you pay for but it may hurt worse in the long run injury-wise.

References:

Schillewaert, N. (2020, July 7).Brand religions: The 3 beliefs of the influencer religionInSites Consulting. https://insites-consulting.com/blog/brand-religions-the-3-beliefs-of-the-influencer-religion/

QUESTIONS:

• Ask a question about your colleague's experience with a brand introduced through an influencer.
• Offer an insight you gained from your colleague's appraisal of how effective the influencer they described was.
• Provide an additional perspective on your colleague's identification of the benefits of influencer marketing compared to other forms of marketing.
• Share your perspective on the risks that brands face when collaborating with influencers and/or the example your colleague provided of those risks being realized.