
Amazon launches its own social media influencer program into beta - ghosh
https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/31/amazon-quietly-launches-its-own-social-media-influencer-program-into-beta/
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tyingq
All the links in the article to Amazon now lead to a generic login page with
no mention of the program.

You can see they weren't generic in the Google cache though:

    
    
      site:amazon.com "amazon influencer program"

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natch
It makes me sad that fame and celebrity, no matter how it is acquired, equates
so directly to money-making and power now. Sad because I don't think it is
encouraging the best parts of our nature. But I don't know what to do about
it.

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ams6110
Now? It's always been that way.

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natch
But now, as with everything, technology multiplies the effect so much that
it's getting extreme.

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ams6110
My question is will there be a guarantee that the items are genuine and not
counterfeit?

Celebs will probably not want to be associated with buyers of their endorsed
products ending up with counterfeit goods.

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amelius
Why use such a controversial name as "influencer"? Why didn't they just call
it "recommender"?

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dilemma
That's the industry term. It's not a hit on Amazon.

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cagataygurturk
They were recently hiring a SDM in Germany for this program.

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elastic_church
Nice maybe they buy up competition

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lutusp
A what? A "social media influencer program?" It's a program that employs
people skilled at pretending to be someone they aren't, whose goal is to
influence the views of people who would prefer to be someone they aren't.

"Social media influence" is jargon for lies. Proof? When was the last time you
saw a famous actor flogging potatoes? The reason? People actually need
potatoes -- they don't need to be tricked into buying them.

Even more worrying is the recent rise in lawsuits against anyone who posts a
negative product review in social media. The idea is to squelch anything but
controlled advertising copy, recited by young, attractive employees. And ...
it's working.

My favorite advertising slogan of the last 20 years: "If you don't buy a new
car, the terrorists win."

