Zoella Flashcards
What is an MCN and how is it linked to Zoella?
Multi Channel Network
- A media company that represents creators.
Zoella used to be owned by Style Haul.
Can be beneficial to a blogger as their content can be promoted to a wider audience.
How can Hesmondhalgh be applied to Zoella?
HH believes to maximise profit, a producer should copy an existing successful formula rather than making something different or original.
- ‘More Zoella’ channel
- Uses content ideas from other YouTubers
What is the ASA and it’s requirement?
Advertising Standards Authority
- They regulated online ads.
- Bloggers have to make it clear to viewers if it’s a paid promotion e.g using the hashtags like #sponsored
What are some Zoella controversies?
- Not making it clear when a promotion has been paid for.
- Lack on regulation online esp. livestreams, Zoella previously had TWT posts sharing offensive (homophobic/classist) messages.
- Her vlog whilst driving caused a lot of bad publicity
- Advent calendar collaboration with Boots
- Furlough scheme - claimed furlough to pay her staff during Covid despite being a multi-millionaire.
- Called out for using ghost writers to write her debut novel ‘Girl Online’.
How does Zoella conform to Curran & Seaton?
Zoella is now more of a brand rather than a person.
- Product endorsements, pushing her merch in posts because diversifying into other synergetic products helps to reduce risk and increase profit.
MEDIA CONCENTRATION
- Despite seeming like an independent influencer (her own company A to Z creatives) the platforms she operates on are controller by large corporations (YouTube) This means despite being produced by her, her content is still influenced by the policies and monetisation structures of these powerful media organisations.
How can Jenkins be applied to Zoella?
How can Gerbner be applied to Zoella?
How can Livingstone and Lunt be applied to Zoella?
Currently all social media platforms have to self regulate, consumers have to rely on the companies being responsible and not wanting to damage their reputations or lose audiences through inappropriate content.
She is self regulated, other than her vlogs and all video content following Youtube terms of service and her social media tweets etc following their respective guidelines. She has occasionally has ran into legal implications from her Instagram feed, after she was found guilty of promoting brands without announcing it was paid-for content.
- Speaks about taboo topics, opting to educate rather than protect consumers from themes such as depression, anxiety, etc.
What are some regulatory issues that Zoella experienced?
Critics found old Twitter posts:
Messages suggested a woman should “keep her legs shut” and described someone who thought a £2000 dress was too expensive as a “tramp”.
Criticised for promoting “dangerous” ideas of beauty and perfection.
Cited as one of the causes of declining literacy among teenagers.
How can Hesmondhalgh be applied through maximising profit?
- Audience engagement (time spent on respective sites) is maximised through algorithmically optimised aspects such as YouTube’s autoplay and Zoella.co.uk’s “Read Next” buttons.
- Product endorsement via main channel where she posts paid promotions, content where she recommends products she has been paid to endorse.
How is Zoella produced, distributed and circulated?
Zoe Sugg began her career in 2009 by creating a personal blog and YouTube channel, focusing on fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content.
Her content is primarily distributed through her YouTube channel and personal blog, using the internet’s global reach to connect with international users.
How is Zoella monetised?
Youtube Partnership programme - her channel has always been very advertiser friendly (no controversial content) and began to carry targeted ads which she shares a 55/45% split of the revenue with Youtube.
In 2013, Zoella signs with Gleam Futures MCN which, amongst other things, secures her deals with a number of high street brands for her range of beauty and lifestyle products.
In 2021 moves full time into managing A-Z Creatives and is essentially managing her business interests herself (vertical integration - profit and power).
Zoella brand has diversified and runs as a independent entity - c&s and hh allows full control and minimises risk.
How has Zoella monetised in terms of products/diversification?
Launched Zoella Beauty in 2014.
ZS Beauty and ZS Lifestyle separate identities minimises risk.
- Both were discontinued in 2019, Zoella claimed it was because she has a different vision for them, but revenues estimated to be around 3.8 million a year.
Authored multiple books including ‘Girl Online’ ‘Cordially Invited’ and ‘The Magpie Society’.
