Very good questions and I like what you're sorting out, implication wise! I think in the first scenario, yes, every photo I take myself and post to my own accounts should have a small caption or watermark that lists my sponsors. Ernie Ball, the Guitar brand, whatever - I think it's genuinely a point of pride to be endorsed, and it's a goal for a lot of serious players. Getting a band or player's name on the back of a pack of Ernie Ball strings, to me, would be an achievement I would proudly acknowledge.
The second scenario is one that again I'd draw the line at my own accounts. If I like the brand and they give them to me for free, then I'll disclose it because, well, it's a sponsorship by them. The "would've bought it anyway" kind of feels like a rationalization to me. A lot of things I like I can't afford, so posturing it as such wouldn't be honest in my book.
I think an analogy might be like how NASCAR drivers have a ton of sponsor patches on their racing uniforms.
So, Jeff Gordon for instance - if he makes an IG post where he's changing the oil in his personal car, not wearing his racing outfit, but acting like "Just a normal dude like you!" and prominently holding a quart of Valvoline, I think that should get a tag because it's a grey area. Not everybody knows his race team and his career is sponsored by Valvoline, but if he shows that his sponsorship extends to his "personal life" then yeah, put the tag on there.
I'll definitely agree that the imperfect system / blurry distinctions take some discussion, but I'm glad to have a chance to hash this kind of logic out.
The second scenario is one that again I'd draw the line at my own accounts. If I like the brand and they give them to me for free, then I'll disclose it because, well, it's a sponsorship by them. The "would've bought it anyway" kind of feels like a rationalization to me. A lot of things I like I can't afford, so posturing it as such wouldn't be honest in my book.
I think an analogy might be like how NASCAR drivers have a ton of sponsor patches on their racing uniforms.
So, Jeff Gordon for instance - if he makes an IG post where he's changing the oil in his personal car, not wearing his racing outfit, but acting like "Just a normal dude like you!" and prominently holding a quart of Valvoline, I think that should get a tag because it's a grey area. Not everybody knows his race team and his career is sponsored by Valvoline, but if he shows that his sponsorship extends to his "personal life" then yeah, put the tag on there.
I'll definitely agree that the imperfect system / blurry distinctions take some discussion, but I'm glad to have a chance to hash this kind of logic out.