Issue #57: Are we all fed up with influencer gifting?

Plus part 2 of the Poppi vending machine drama

I’m writing this from a very gray, snowy New York City. This morning was possibly the most snow I’ve ever seen in NYC, but I have only been here for three years. I met up with the lovely

Emma Apple Chozick

for coffee earlier, and despite my hands nearly freezing off, it was so great to connect IRL. Stay tuned for an interview with Emma coming to you very soon! ✨

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The conversation in the comments of my Sunday post about the Poppi vending machines was fascinating, so I wanted to dive deeper and talk about the changing landscape of influencer gifting and experiences in today’s issue. If you haven’t read Sunday’s Brand Bite yet, start there!

Issue #56: Brand Bite of the Week

The Poppi vending machine saga progressed over the past few days when ‘better-for-you’ soda competitor Olipop began commenting on posts about the vending machines, at one point asserting that each vending machine cost $25K.

I’ll be honest – Olipop’s comments didn’t sit super well with me. Maybe they were aiming for some playful brand rivalry circa 2017 Twitter, but they just ended up coming off as rude and hostile. I generally think that brands should avoid malicious or catty vibes on social media, and Olipop’s approach crossed the line for me.

Unrelated to Olipop’s response, the Poppi vending machine controversy prompted a larger conversation around the evolving influencer gifting landscape these days. Let’s get into it.

The State of Influencer Gifting & Experiences 🎁

Let’s start by saying that Poppi’s strategy, despite its controversy (or perhaps because of it), generated millions of impressions for the brand. So from a purely marketing perspective, their strategy worked – even if some of its buzz and reach came from criticism. A lot of that criticism called Poppi out for not gifting the vending machines to top customers or donating them to people in need. Unfortunately, the reality of business is that most brands won’t invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in customer gifts or experiences when the ROI isn’t comparable to influencer marketing outcomes, where their products are sure to get in front of thousands (if not millions) of viewers.

So here’s my take. The Poppi vending machine drama is part of a broader trend of growing public disillusionment with influencer gifting and experiences. Just take influencer brand trips, for instance. Makeup brand Tarte has faced years of criticism for their extravagant influencer trips. Just last month, while hosting influencers in the Caribbean during the LA fires, they attempted to improve optics by donating to the LA Fire Department and World Central Kitchen (and posting about those donations several times).

tartecosmetics

A post shared by @tartecosmetics

Despite the donations, Tarte continued to post lighthearted, carefree content featuring influencers having fun on the beach. It didn’t land well, and the comments on the post above say a lot:

What’s super interesting to me is how audiences’ reactions to similar influencer marketing efforts can be wildly different. Last year, Poppi hosted Alix Earle and her friends in a custom house at Coachella. It was another big, buzzy influencer marketing tactic intended to drive social conversation and brand awareness, but it didn’t face nearly the same backlash as the Tarte influencer trips or the vending machine saga of 2025.

Issue #33: Popping up outside of the box

So what’s changed? We’re seeing a big shift in how audiences are perceiving influencer marketing these days. Specifically, perceptions of influencer gifting and trips are rather negative. In a time of increasing living costs, it’s understandably frustrating to see influencers being showered with expensive gifts and lavish experiences. As I’ve written about time and time again, audiences crave more authentic, relatable marketing tactics that put real customers first.

Not to mention, with growing concerns for sustainability particularly in the face of serious natural disasters like the LA fires, audiences feel that influencer gifting is wasteful. As one of my very smart readers commented earlier this week…

Agreed that Poppi vending machines are on the extreme side of gifting, but if gifting is wasteful, wouldn't that mean marketing in general is wasteful, as it is promoting the consumption of excess product from consumers?

However, if gifting creators is a successful marketing campaign for brands, and the creator actually uses what they are gifted, is that still considered wasteful? There has to be a line somewhere between marketing product to sustain a business and not promoting waste/overconsumption but I ponder this often!

Brands need to approach influencer marketing with more consideration than ever. There are ways to make influencer gifting less wasteful, like confirming that influencers actually want the products before sending them (I see soooo many influencers talk about giving their PR products to their friends because they don’t want them or already have those exact products!). There are also ways to produce relatable and beneficial campaigns while also garnering successful outcomes, like featuring real customers alongside influencers.

Let’s not forget that Poppi has done a pretty good job of creating amazing experiences and gifting opportunities for non-influencers, too. When I walked by the Poppi pop-up activation in Soho last fall, they were handing out free soda left and right. I just hope that they find some good spots for these vending machines, y’all.

@drinkpoppiwe love our poppi community 🩷 tell us where they should go next 👇

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For brands, this whole saga should serve as just another reminder that audiences are craving more authentic, relatable marketing tactics that prioritize customers before influencers. The days of throwing lavish gifts at influencers are over, and brands will need to balance influencer marketing tactics with customer appreciation and values-based actions. Just keep this in mind before planning a brand trip for Alix Earle. xx