Perhaps my issue is that I'm so jaded with the press, that I don't see them as different from marketing departments, considering I've seen how marketing departments regard journalism.
Literally, 100% of the time, they regard journalism as "unintended advertising", and they treat it as that. I think journalism has now fully adopted that. I hate to say I agree with Rupert Murdoch, but I think all real/good news is fully pay-walled. Everything else is propaganda. I think free, objective, news is now fully impossible.
"Brand Ambassadors", could be better described as "Corporate Subversives". It's literally their job to subtly name-drop their sponsors, and even move conversations into the advertising lines and objectives that they've been given by brands. It's not like a dude with a logo on his shirt anymore. Their objective is to push the brand and it's very subtle advertising during all press conferences and public interviews.
For example, let's say you're a brand ambassador for ABC Financing, some sort of loan company, and you're a badminton player. Let's say their slogan is: "Peace of Mind".
If, for some reason, you were at a Burger King when an armed robbery took place, and a journalist is asking you questions about the armed robbery, it's your job to say something like, "Well, I had just gotten a burger, and about to walk out of the store to get a car loan, when this dude just busts in with a gun! I was definitely scared, I kinda lost my peace of mind when I see stuff like that happening." And while you're being filmed, you bet your ass you're wearing your brands colors even if you don't mention the brand, or say it's name, or have it's logo visible.
Fully subversive.
That's how bad the shilling really is. I've heard marketing go into detail about it, not just the brand ambassadors, but fucking everyone. This is why they are so obsessive about social media. It's their fucking warzone. They are advertising and they aren't even telling you what they are advertising.
Perhaps my issue is that I'm so jaded with the press, that I don't see them as different from marketing departments, considering I've seen how marketing departments regard journalism.
Literally, 100% of the time, they regard journalism as "unintended advertising", and they treat it as that. I think journalism has now fully adopted that. I hate to say I agree with Rupert Murdoch, but I think all real/good news is fully pay-walled. Everything else is propaganda. I think free, objective, news is now fully impossible.
"Brand Ambassadors", could be better described as "Corporate Subversives". It's literally their job to subtly name-drop their sponsors, and even move conversations into the advertising lines and objectives that they've been given by brands. It's not like a dude with a logo on his shirt anymore. Their objective is to push the brand and it's very subtle advertising during all press conferences and public interviews.
For example, let's say you're a brand ambassador for ABC Financing, some sort of loan company, and you're a badminton player. Let's say their slogan is: "Peace of Mind".
If, for some reason, you were at a Burger King when an armed robbery took place, and a journalist is asking you questions about the armed robbery, it's your job to say something like, "Well, I had just gotten a burger, and about to walk out of the store to get a car loan, when this dude just busts in with a gun! I was definitely scared, I kinda lost my peace of mind when I see stuff like that happening." And while you're being filmed, you bet your ass you're wearing your brands colors even if you don't mention the brand, or say it's name, or have it's logo visible.
Fully subversive.
That's how bad the shilling really is. I've heard marketing go into detail about it, not just the brand ambassadors, but fucking everyone. This is why they are so obsessive about social media. It's their fucking warzone. They are advertising and they aren't even telling you what they are advertising.