The News Tribune has reported on Jan. 15 that Justin Bieber plans to use his social media networks to promote a prepaid debit card from BillMyParents. Bieber has a new partnership with the company and will utilize his 30 million Twitter fans and 48 million Facebook fans to his advantage. However, the response to his decision is already turning negative and highlights some of the problems with celebrity endorsements on social media networks.
Justin Bieber will be the brand ambassador for BillMyParents, a company that provides prepaid card services targeted to teens, and has labeled itself as the “The Responsible Teen Spending Company.” Although BillMyParents claims it has a simple fee structure of $3.95 a month, Bieber is still being criticized for endorsing the product.
Bieber is not the first celebrity that has plans to use his social media networks and large fan numbers to promote an endorsement deal. However, he is being accused of taking advantage of his followers by promoting a product with fees. Slingjot, a new social media network that was recently endorsed by model Stephanie Fertado, has pointed out that traditional social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter can be easily abused by celebrities. Their popularity allows them to grow a large following that can be used later to endorse products. The founder of Slingjot believes that new social media networks will provide a more balanced community with better feedback.
BillMyParents and Justin Bieber have not provided many details of how the singer will promote the prepaid debit cards. Nevertheless, it is clear that his social media networks will be a prominent part of the deal, and his followers can expect multiple messages and videos related to the company’s prepaid debit card.
