Clicks at What Cost? The Potential PR Price of Ad Overload in Our Social Feeds
As a consumer who grew up with social media, I’ve witnessed firsthand how popular platforms have evolved to fit the current media landscape. With each app update, I’ve learned to adapt to my favorite platforms’ new features — admittedly, some are far easier to embrace than others.
Instagram Shopping makes me long for the app to go back to the way it was in 2016. While I do enjoy the convenience of being able to shop while I scroll, I can’t help but notice how my feed, once filled with photos of my friends and family, now consists of sponsored advertisements.
Instagram is not the only popular platform that has undergone this kind of transformation.
In September of 2021, TikTok launched TikTok Shop, providing users with a place to find and directly purchase products used in live videos, tagged in content shown on their algorithm-driven “For You Page” or pinned on brand profiles.
TikTok Shop offers the following:
- In-feed video and LIVE shopping where users can shop tagged products directly from videos and LIVEs on the “For You Page.”
- A shop tab that allows businesses to display their products on a new product marketplace; customers can easily search and discover promotions.
- An affiliate program that gives creators the opportunity to connect with sellers through new commission-based product marketing opportunities.
TikTok even takes social media advertising to the next level, as its unique shop stores, picks, packs and then ships sellers’ products to customers.
As every social media platform finds its own way to incorporate shopping features, users cannot escape advertisements in their day to day.
There is no denying the effectiveness of social media advertising, which allows brands to easily place their products in front of billions of active users, driving sales and promotion. If brands don’t take advantage of accessibility to incorporating social media advertisements in their communication strategies, they can easily fall behind their competitors. Social media advertising offers a level of exposure that real life storefronts simply can’t match – so can you blame brands for incorporating them into their communication strategy?
Public relations has always focused on relationship-building, between brands, the media and customers. Social media has opened the door for PR professionals to gain less formal and more direct access to consumers, enhancing the kind of relationships brands can forge with their target audience by showcasing a product in a relatable context.
Incorporating social media advertising into a communications strategy aims to enhance existing connections and build new ones. Yet, as brands increase their presence on users’ feeds, they risk damaging these relationships by contributing to the overload of ads on social media. This shift makes me personally question whether the infiltration of advertisements comes at a higher cost than brands anticipate.
Finding the right balance between the desire for both clicks and strong consumer relationships in the current media landscape is essential.
The question remains: Will consumers place the blame on the brands that capitalize on this new wave of advertising, or on the platforms that make it possible?
Megan Renzi is a junior at The University of Alabama majoring in advertising with a minor in creative media. She is currently a writer/editor for Platform Magazine, an online student-run publication dedicated to the public relations field. She also holds a position as a copywriter for Capstone Agency, Alabama’s student-run communications firm. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.
