Branding

I just had a commenter angrily dispute (read: swearing like a five year old) over my use of the word "brand" when referring to a particular Youtube channel's more prominent attributes, and it made me wonder just how many people seriously don't think they're in this for the money.

It's their day job. Of course they are.

That doesn't mean it's a bad thing. And it doesn't automatically make someone a sell-out. They started out doing something which people liked, and as the user base grew, so did ad revenue, enough so to sustain them. But to say that various Youtubers don't have a "brand" is like saying they're all the same as Joe Vlogger. They all have things which distinguish them, and most of them actively use those things to promote themselves in all things internet-related, whether that's selling shirts or growing their fan base. Olga Kay for example has her juggling (which she doesn't really do anymore though), a whole series of recurring characters she plays on her main channel videos, and her "moosh army." Toby Turner has his "darkness then redness then whiteness" thing. Cory Williams has his "mean kitties." Shay is the "family man." Arturo Trejo has his exaggerations, his family, and the whole Spanish thing. Wheezy Waiter has a number of recurring in-jokes (new couch!), Explosion Wednesday (not that that's a thing), his band, etc. CTFxC has its very name, and the dogs. I could go on and on. And let's not forget that most of these people have theme songs now, as well. When people think of these Youtubers, they identify them with these things. It's part of the "brand" they've created to set themselves apart from the masses. And it's why they're all popular. It's in no way an implication that they've sold out.

When you become a sell-out is when the search for money and/or fame goes too far and impacts what you've established. When advertising is prevalent, when products are promoted too often, when out of the ordinary things are done on the channel purely for views, outright spamming, etc. Not cool. Most of these people already make a living off of their fans, so expecting more than that, particularly at the expense of normal content, is kind of selfish. Not that I blame them, of course, because everybody likes money. But fans notice, and in the end, they're only damaging their own image.

There are in fact certain Youtubers who I feel are nothing but sell-outs at this point. Some I've mentioned in detail, others I've never mentioned here at all. And not everyone who I've had a beef with here is on that list, either, before you go making assumptions. But there's no point in me naming names, because there's obviously thousands of people who would disagree with me in each case regardless of any evidence I might present. You know, much like the angry commenter who felt it necessary to swear angrily at the very implication that their favorite Youtuber promoted any kind of brand to begin with!

And Then There Were Fewer

So since my last update, I've unsubscribed from all CTFxC-related channels. Just got tired of it in general, along with things rubbing me the wrong way occasionally. No point in making myself watch something that I don't really enjoy most days. I think the last straw was Charles and Alli wearing out Siri on their new iPhones, since I completely predicted it beforehand. Siri isn't amusing or even anything new, but seems like every kid out there is amazed by the thing. Anyway, I might go back and watch the wedding whenever that happens, but even if I missed that, I honestly just wouldn't care at this point. I'm over the vloggity.

I've also all but stopped watching Olga Kay's videos. I haven't watched one now in weeks. Why am I even still subscribed to that, actually?

I saw that the Shaytard brood is branching out, into yet more video series and now podcasts. Even his sister has a professional-looking channel now. The junk got put into my recommendations. And again I just roll my eyes at the money obsession fueling those ventures. It's just ridiculous how Shaytards went from an every day family guy to this professional scripted internet television series. Why would anyone who didn't already know Shay from the beginning even want to start watching it? What's the appeal?

Actually, nevermind. This is the same country that loves Jersey Shore, the Kardashians, and Rebecca Black.

My favorite daily vlogger remains Katers17, along with Cory and recently Amy as well. I really enjoyed the videos with Amy around. She seems to be very comfortable in front of the camera, and has a good sense of humor. Some of the funniest moments in a while happened during those three weeks of her visit. I hope she continues her own vlogging channel once she's back in England.

As for Kate, no real complaints about the vlogs in recent weeks I guess. She's been pushing that APB game a bit, and I suspect she's getting paid in some respect for at least doing the commercial part of it, but who knows. But it's nothing too intrusive so it doesn't bother me. People get some kind of Katers character tattoo out of joining through her link, so more power to'em I guess.

Currently she's kind of pushing some mobile game called City Story. I tried it since it's "free," but I don't see me playing it. I mean, I understand that games like that make money by selling items, but they're whoring this garbage on you constantly in popups and stuff. It's very annoying. Sorry, I'm not giving you money to regularly play a slow generic version of Sim City. Not when I can buy the REAL Sim City app. It all makes me wonder if Kate is being sponsored by these people. The reason I find it hard to believe that she's actually paying to play this thing is that it's obvious that she's very thrifty and money-conscious. I know she plays lots of Tiny Chef, but I've never played that one so I have no idea how necessary it is to spend real money to play it. Either way, whatever, I just thought the whole thing seemed a bit odd. Even if they're paying her, I don't care as long as it doesn't start to sound like it's being hocked rather than just suggested. I'd rather know that someone is trying to advertise to me rather than trying to trick me.

Meanwhile, Cory is on this "don't worry, be happy" phase. He's done similar things a few times in the past, and it apparently never lasts very long. Usually when somebody tries so hard to convince other people they're happy, they're only fooling themselves. I mean, more power to him if it does make him feel good temporarily, but I'm just afraid that he'll suddenly come crashing back to reality and feel miserable again. I think you're better off with a bumpy emotional state by dealing with problems, rather than pretending stuff doesn't bother you during high highs, only to end up climbing the mountain again after you hit the low lows.

Also speaking of Cory, I found it kind of ironic that he was complaining about having no money, yet he was so easily swindled into buying that car cleaner from the guy hocking it at the gas station. I can tell you right now that there was nothing in that bottle he was selling that you couldn't find cheaper in a store. I bet he paid like thirty bucks for it, too. Besides, Cory usually goes through the car wash anyway, which says to me that he obviously doesn't have the time or the desire to hand wash or wax the thing to begin with. Oh well.

I guess that's about all I meant to mention, regarding Youtubers at least. I'm sure I could find other things to go on about, but I'll save that for another time!


EDIT: Oh yeah, I know what I meant to mention now. People saying Kate complains too much. It got to the point that Kate herself now often prefaces that she's not complaining before expressing discontent. Who the fuck cares? Seriously, the girl is very chipper and grateful of most things, is she not allowed to complain as well? What reality do people live in where life doesn't give you lemons? Yeah, she lives in California where the weather is beautiful most of the time, but if she wants to complain about occasional cold or rain, why does it matter? People complain about inconveniences. It's perfectly normal. The whole "she has it all, she doesn't have any right to be complaining" thing is kind of ridiculous to impose on anybody. And don't get me wrong, there are still some things that are unjustifiable to complain about on camera, and Shaycarl was a perfect example of that. But general complaints about life are excluded. Haters will hate, I guess.