What are paid partnerships on social media?
Directions:
(Anahad O’Connor and Caitlin Gilbert, The Washington Post, and Sasha Chavkin, The Examination).
in partnership posts.
Resource Connection Tip: Complete the “Branded Content” Checkology® lesson for
relevant insights.
Watch the video at the beginning of the article. Complete these sentences to make them true. Some dietitians on TikTok and Instagram tried to discredit the World Health Organization’s findings related to aspartame but did not make clear their videos were ______________ by American Beverage. The ___________ industry has also turned to dietitian influencers to help them with their marketing. | | |||
Even with labels like _________________ or ____________, it wasn’t immediately obvious to viewers who sponsored the videos. | ||||
PART A: Intro video
Dig Deeper
Sept. 18, 2023
NAME:
DATE:
PART B: Paid partnerships
Find this excerpt. In all, at least 35 posts from a dozen health professionals were part of the coordinated campaign by American Beverage. The trade group paid an undisclosed amount to 10 registered dietitians, as well as a physician and a fitness influencer, to use their social media accounts to help blunt the WHO’s claims that aspartame, a mainstay of Diet Coke and other sodas, is ineffective for weight loss and “possibly carcinogenic.” In your own words, what happened? Why is this significant? | |||||
How are the food, beverage and dietary supplement industries trying to sway consumers? | Find an excerpt that supports your answer. Write or summarize it here. | ||||
How can you tell if social media content is an ad?
| Find an excerpt that supports your answer. Write or summarize it here. | ||||
Is the issue that American Beverage is using dietitians to market their message, that users aren’t always aware of that relationship or something else? Explain. | Find an excerpt that supports your answer. Write or summarize it here. | ||||
In your own words, what is a paid partnership? | |||||
| How do viewers respond when they find out who pays for the videos? | ||||
How much money do dietitian influencers receive for sponsored posts? How do you know? | |||||
Why would lobbyist groups pay influencers to encourage their followers to eat sugary foods, aspartame and dietary supplements? | |||||
Find this excerpt. Michael Ostheimer, an attorney for the FTC’s division of advertising practices, said a key test is whether the sponsorship would surprise consumers and affect their opinion of the message’s credibility — what the agency refers to as an “unexpected material connection.” Do you think the paid partnerships in this article affect the message’s credibility? Why or why not? | |||||
Find this excerpt. American Beverage’s campaign with dietitians is a case that would require clear disclosure, according to Bonnie Patten, executive director of Truth in Advertising, a nonprofit group that combats deceptive marketing. Do you think American Beverage’s campaign with dietitians is deceptive marketing or not? Explain. | |||||
PART C: User responsibility
If the Federal Trade Commision cannot sufficiently enforce problematic behavior, what can dietitians and social media followers do to protect themselves? | ||||||
Dietitians | Social media followers | |||||
What was the most helpful information in this article for you and your social media habits? | Find an excerpt that supports your answer. Write or summarize it here. | |||||
How can you verify whether health information online is accurate? | ||||||
Conclusion: Explain how paid partnerships work and what social media users should consider in partnership posts. Use details from all parts of this think sheet in your response.
Extend: Review the methodology for this story. Explain how this investigative report came to be.
The Sift DIG DEEPER resource was inspired from a worksheet created by educator Ellie Strand.
It is intended to be copied and modified for classroom use. If you make any changes, please add, “This resource was adapted from the News Literacy Project.”