Home Gaming Microsoft paying YouTubers for Xbox One mentions?

Microsoft paying YouTubers for Xbox One mentions?

2 min read
55

Prostitute

There is nothing wrong with marketing or advertising – let’s all just accept that companies need to get their brand out there, promote what’s cool about it, and get people talking. So sure, advertising and marketing are to be expected. The problem comes in when companies try to pay trusted individuals to stealthily advertise.

Ars Technica has uncovered a promotion from Machinima to its YouTube partners through which they can earn extra money by posting videos featuring Xbox One content. In a subsequently deleted tweet from the Machinima UK community manager, Machinima video partners could get an extra $3 CPM (per thousand video views) by posting a video including at least 30 seconds of Xbox One game footage, mentioning Xbox One by name. Videos had to be tagged with “XB1M13” to qualify – a YouTube search of the tag returned 6 350 results for me, although most appeared to be people looking for attention including videos titled “I’m a Whore” and “Not Selling Out on YouTube”.

The reality is, plenty of people make videos that are sponsored by a company, so this isn’t really a unique scenario. The problem comes in when we look at the legal agreement behind the promotion:

You may not say anything negative or disparaging about Machinima, Xbox One or any of its Games in your Campaign Video

[…]You agree to keep confidential at all times all matters relating to this Agreement, including, without limitation, the Promotional Requirements, and the CPM Compensation, listed above.

So, YouTubers must sell their soul for a small profit? It’s really not a lot of money that’s on the table, yet the rules make vloggers sell their integrity. This isn’t going to be pretty.

It’s hard to say if this is coming from idiots at Machinima or Microsoft, although I’m prone to place the blame on Machinima here. The budget for this campaign is honestly pretty small – it’s capped at 1 250 000 views, which works out to $3 750. Surely if Microsoft were behind this they’d throw more money at the project? Either way, it just shows the way advertising and marketing are going – buying mentions and references on YouTube to try to convince people of the quality of your product. Just be honest, call it marketing, let people declare that you paid them to say nice things – fans will still listen to the paid advertising and maybe take it on board.

In the meantime, Machinima is going to have a lot of hard work ahead of them to try to come out of this looking good. There goes any credibility people still thought they had.

Last Updated: January 21, 2014

55 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief in Vegas

    January 21, 2014 at 10:08

    Heh, nice new avatar Zoe!

    Reply

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      January 21, 2014 at 10:15

      Thanks! the guys hate it 😛

      Reply

      • TiMsTeR1033

        January 21, 2014 at 10:15

        Its glorious!

        Reply

      • Admiral Chief in Vegas

        January 21, 2014 at 10:21

        pfffffff

        Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        January 21, 2014 at 10:23

        What about Darryn?

        Reply

      • ElimiNathan

        January 21, 2014 at 10:27

        Needs more ( . )( . )

        Reply

    • Rock789

      January 21, 2014 at 10:20

      I concur – pretty shweet new avatar. 🙂

      Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    January 21, 2014 at 10:08

    If you are being paid to promote a product it needs to be disclosed because it doesn’t matter if your opinion & the promotion coincide, perception will always be that you were paid to offer that opinion. And keeping the promotion secret – what are they trying to hide? It just makes it whole thing look even worse when it invariably comes out, like this.

    Reply

  3. Brian Murphy

    January 21, 2014 at 10:11

    Yeah I was reading/listening about this earlier this evening (fuck it’s 3am). Francis did a good video on it, I think. He basically says the same thing, the only thing new about this whole situation is the quoted items you talk about in your article Zoe. So, at least part of it should come as no surprise.

    The rest though is hideous, and from what I understand it may actually be illegal in the US, as an FTC violation, according to FTC 16 CFR Part 255:

    “The blogger is also liable if she fails to disclose clearly and conspicuously that she is being paid for her services.” (The ‘she’ is referring to an example case in the law, located here):

    http://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/press-releases/ftc-publishes-final-guides-governing-endorsements-testimonials/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf

    Here’s Francis’ take:

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief in Vegas

      January 21, 2014 at 10:12

      3AM is like in my peak sleeping time…

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        January 21, 2014 at 10:14

        It’s exactly when my sister woke me up on Fri night to drive to Table View with her to fetch my niece. Fun times.

        Reply

      • Brian Murphy

        January 21, 2014 at 10:17

        Have you ever been up at night, and ‘things’ just keep making you procrastinate sleep? I fucking love to sleep, but goddamn, sometimes news, or other random shit (watching Neil Degrasse Tyson, Lawrence Krauss, Sam Harris speeches are a current achilles heel), just makes you forget about the time lol. Happens often to me, end up having to stay up all night and all day just to ensure I’m not getting up at 3pm.

        Reply

        • Unavengedavo

          January 21, 2014 at 10:20

          I was also up at 3 in the morning… Well SA time that is 😛

          Reply

          • TiMsTeR1033

            January 21, 2014 at 10:21

            Doesn’t terror sleep?

          • Hammersteyn

            January 21, 2014 at 10:22

            No, it flaps in the night.

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            January 21, 2014 at 10:33

            bwhahahha

          • Unavengedavo

            January 21, 2014 at 10:35

            Faps* fixed it for you… No.. wait… O_o

          • Unavengedavo

            January 21, 2014 at 10:25

            I do sleep, but sleep paralysis has a weird way of making you not want to sleep anymore :O

          • TiMsTeR1033

            January 21, 2014 at 10:31

            still getting that?

          • Unavengedavo

            January 21, 2014 at 10:35

            This is the second time it’s happened

          • TiMsTeR1033

            January 21, 2014 at 10:37

            Damn the dark side finally getting a hold of you! wait till you experience the infamous bed shaking!

          • TiMsTeR1033

            January 21, 2014 at 10:41

            wait till the third and then the fourth!

          • Brian Murphy

            January 21, 2014 at 10:43

            I’ve had something like that happen, absolutely no control over your body…feels eerily like how your leg feels when it falls asleep? Maybe not the same, but I’ve had a similar thing happen. It’s freaky to wake up to.

          • TiMsTeR1033

            January 21, 2014 at 10:47

            worst I have had is hearing a noise being completely awake but cant move and hearing whispering noises followed by bed shaking… Read some say could of been sleep paralysis then entering OBE or other sources say dark entity of sorts… either way I know what @Unavengedavo:disqus is feeling you too shit scared to sleep! feels as if a demon been in room and you just stuck there…

          • Sageville

            January 21, 2014 at 11:16

            I do 3 am pretty much every night.

            Worst thing…. the birds… those frikken noisey rats with wings dare remind me I was supposed to go to bed ages ago.

            I hate birds.

    • Hammersteyn

      January 21, 2014 at 10:15

      “The blogger is also liable if she/he fails to disclose clearly and conspicuously that she/he is being paid for her services.” Just like prostitution. There’s a lot of XBOX whores on the internet.

      Reply

    • Unavengedavo

      January 21, 2014 at 10:16

      “she is being paid for her services” so she isn’t a flash cart? 😛

      Reply

      • Brian Murphy

        January 21, 2014 at 10:17

        lol, nice.

        Reply

      • TiMsTeR1033

        January 21, 2014 at 10:20

        Is that what they call them now! Flashcarts! Damn Flashcart on every corner in some parts… with the big daddy the Flashcart reader!!

        Reply

        • Unavengedavo

          January 21, 2014 at 10:23

          Lol, take it you didn’t read all the comments between me and Brian in Geoff’s article about the flash Cart? 😛

          Reply

          • Brian Murphy

            January 21, 2014 at 10:27

            Anyone who read that conversation is probably trying to figure out why blood is coming out of their ears lol.

          • Unavengedavo

            January 21, 2014 at 10:31

            Lets just blame it on sleep deprivation and move on 😛

          • Brian Murphy

            January 21, 2014 at 10:36

            *grin* Honestly, I was waiting for you to ask what the fuck I was on during that convo, and that was going to be my first response haha.

          • Unavengedavo

            January 21, 2014 at 10:37

            Lol, usually people ask me what I am on 😛

    • Hammersteyn

      January 21, 2014 at 10:32

      After listening to this I have to say there is something really wrong here. If you need to pay people to say something positive about your product that just means you aren’t entirely confident in what you’re selling.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        January 21, 2014 at 10:33

        Especially if you’re then trying to hide the fact that you’re paying for it too.

        Reply

  4. Umar Break Dancing Cyborg

    January 21, 2014 at 10:19

    “Hey baby…looking for a good time? My mentions are the best around. You won’t find better mentions anywhere else…Wana go over by the bush and blog?”

    Reply

    • Unavengedavo

      January 21, 2014 at 10:29

      “I will google your twitter till you hashtag all over my facebook”

      Reply

      • Umar Break Dancing Cyborg

        January 21, 2014 at 10:31

        Whatsapp with that?? Sorry I only Mxit with women 😛

        Reply

    • TiMsTeR1033

      January 21, 2014 at 10:31

      I will blog the shit outta you by the bush!

      Reply

      • Umar Break Dancing Cyborg

        January 21, 2014 at 10:33

        Denied: No hardcore blogging allowed

        Reply

        • TiMsTeR1033

          January 21, 2014 at 10:35

          but, Its the only way I know how!

          Reply

  5. 64bit

    January 21, 2014 at 10:24

    hehe i called it months ago, all favourable reviews of xbox one crap is all paid for by M$ including gaming websites…

    what a lol imagine those poor people who where duped into buying the more expensive console that only has 50% of the power of its cheaper competitor ahahhahahahahahhahaaha

    as jy dom is, moet jy kak

    Reply

    • Pieter Kruger

      January 21, 2014 at 12:25

      Got my Xbox One and LOVING it!!!! I’m pretty sure the PS4 guys will eventually get some good games too and then they’ll be off playing rather than being on here trolling!!

      Reply

      • Wraith

        January 21, 2014 at 14:10

        Your cheque is in the mail :).

        Reply

  6. Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

    January 21, 2014 at 10:38

    What’s everyone’s issue? I thought microtransactions have become the norm? #trollol

    Reply

  7. Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

    January 21, 2014 at 11:08

    What’s a machininima and a youtube?

    Reply

  8. Chip

    January 21, 2014 at 11:09

    Machinima have no credibility left? How is this so vastly different to Lagz writing up entire articles purely for the purpose of discreetly pushing a Kalahari.com or some similar affiliate program?

    Reply

    • Brian Murphy

      January 21, 2014 at 11:16

      Uh…the whole part where they’re getting paid for positive reviews, and they’re not allowed to give anything but positive reviews, and not disclose the fact that they’re being paid for said positive reviews? You see…no difference between LG letting people know about some deals on a website…and what’s going on here?

      Reply

      • Chip

        January 21, 2014 at 11:31

        Both cases are marketing campaigns of a deceptive nature where the sponsorship is not clearly disclosed. Yes this Machinima thing is worse for various reasons, but at the core it is the same principle.

        Reply

        • Brian Murphy

          January 21, 2014 at 11:38

          How is LG telling people about sales, deceptive in nature? And anything remotely close to not being allowed to give the whole picture to a games review, because you’re being paid for positive reviews?

          Reply

          • Chip

            January 21, 2014 at 11:57

            Its deceptive when there’s a whole lot of fluff written to make it look like a legitimate opinion – just like someone on YT trying their best to seem genuine about their opinion about the Xbox One. This is literally the only gaming site where I have ever seen it done. My point which you are completely missing is that its ironic that Lazygamer are questioning the integrity of a competitor when I have seen several questionable marketing practices used on their site. Then again I have also seen plenty of dissent towards their competitors in general, so perhaps this is not all that surprising.

          • Brian Murphy

            January 21, 2014 at 18:59

            Uh, how is writing an article, outlining a sale or a competition, a ‘fluff piece to make it look like a legitimate opinion’?

            And no, I’m not completely missing your point. I just think your point is about as thin as bulimic super model, and lacks any shred of evidence to support such an accusation.

            Whereas, there’s an actual document online, showing nefarious activity between Machinima/Microsoft. Notice how news agencies didn’t really run with the story…until they had some kind of proof.

  9. Sageville

    January 21, 2014 at 11:11

    Nothing to see here, I get the same deal from youporn….

    Reply

  10. Pieter Kruger

    January 21, 2014 at 12:19

    NO ONE CARES!!! $3750??? Why is this an article? Stop being naïve, all companies are doing this in one form or another!

    Reply

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