Not sure if I have posted this before.
“Ethics and values alignment: the audience perspective
A prominent risk of celebrity endorsements is alignment of values: ensuring not only the person endorsing the product is representative of the values the business wishes to convey, but reciprocally, the product or service aligns with those held by the celebrity promoter - especially in respect to the modern age of consumers' expectations of online communities (ibid.).
A local example would suggest a tertiary relationship consideration in respect to ethical differences: the mismatch of values between a promoter and their audience base. New Zealand Instagram influencer Simone Anderson was the target of derision online, when on the day of the Christchurch mosque attacks on 15 March 2019 she posted photos and videos at a nightclub to her 300,000 followers, as well as a since-deleted explanation that "just like any other job, my job also continues" (Corcoran, 2019). In this post, she tagged New Zealand clothing brand Postie Plus, prompting her followers to assume the post was a paid advertisement. Although since deleted, the post prompted Postie Plus to release a statement confirming that they "...would never support any person or organisation taking advantage of a national tragedy" (ibid.). Although the message itself was not ethically contentious, it demonstrates that in this evolved, tribal community that social networks have become, consideration is paramount in response to disaster - and often the best response from influencers and brands alike is to suspend any commercial posts as a marker of respect, in line with audience expectations. Even if not planned or paid, it has proven to reflect poorly on both promoter and product to capitalise on a commercial endorsement relationship in the wake of human tragedy, or more bluntly, "commercialise off deaths" (NZ Herald, 2019).”