Villas in Dubai, XXL birthday parties, luxury bags, sports cars… This is the setting that reality TV influencers have accustomed us to. Maëva Ghennam, Julien and Manon Tanti, Jessica Thivenin, Jazz Correira, Nikolas Lozina… In just a few years, these stars of the small screen have built real fortunes, in particular thanks to product placements on social networks. But for a year, the controversies on the sector are linked: scams, advertising for dubious training, promotion of dangerous products or even false financial expertise. The situation was already not looking good, but that was without taking into account the bill to regulate the sector of influence, examined since Tuesday in the Senate.
Result, between the recent scandals and the evolution of the modes of consumption, the placements of products do not bring any more as much. “It’s the end of this model as we know it. By dint of showering people with advertisements and promo codes, selling anything and everything, influencers have lost the trust of their community and tarnished their image,” said Nisrine Boussarhane, influence consultant for the OTTA agency. “If they had sold quality products, we wouldn’t be here. Buying a 15 euro product if it is worth 15 euros, yes, but buying a 15 euro product if it is worth 40 cents, no. People don’t want that anymore,” adds Jeff Lang 2 VIP, a youtuber and reality TV blogger.
Low-end bookings
And the golden era of product placements is well and truly over, according to him: “A few years ago, a product placement was worth around 2,000 euros. Today, we are more than 200, it has been divided by ten. “Assessment of the operation, the influencers are “forced to turn to other sources of income, to diversify”, notes Nisrine Boussarhane. While some innovate, others recycle old practices. In recent weeks, some influencers have returned to “bookings”, these appearances in nightclubs or at events, such as private parties or the opening of a business, for remuneration.
This is the case of Jazz Correira, the matriarch of the JLC Family. “Whether it’s for a private birthday, whether it’s for a bar mitzvah, whether it’s for a hair salon, a restaurant, a library, it doesn’t matter, if you want to book me, you can directly contact the number that there was on the flyer”, she offered in a story on her Instagram account in early March. The couple Julien and Manon Tanti, historical figures of the “Marseillais” with 10 million subscribers between them, have also resumed offering their services. “If you are a restaurant, that you want us to come, a beauty salon, bowling, karting, whatever, do not hesitate, contact us,” said the young woman on her social network. “It’s clearly a step back,” according to Jeff Lang 2 VIP, who believes that the candidates are “not doing it for fun”. Because if they were “paid to go clubbing at 20, motivate themselves at 35-40 to do the show at 2 a.m., it’s not the same thing”.
It doesn’t matter, it’s “easy money for them”, says Nisrine Boussarhane. According to the specialist blogger Vaarruecos, the Tanti spouses would, for example, ask for 2,500 euros for their “bookings”, in “cash”. Nikolas Lozina, he would require 1,000 euros, as well as a hotel room, to move. And this return of the “booking” gave rise to some unpublished images. Like those of Greg Yega, invited to the opening of a Donuts store in Echirolles near Grenoble, or Nikola Lozina and Simon Castaldi, dressed in mascot costume, for a children’s party.
And all means are good to earn money. In addition to “bookings”, Julien Tanti now offers “signed” videos on the Vidoleo website. The cost ? 60 euros if you are an individual and from 1,000 euros if you are a company. “In the end, it’s neither more nor less than a booking, but without moving,” said Jeff Lang of Vip.
Up to 100,000 euros on Mym
Others have found refuge on YouTube. If some like Hilona, Bastos, Victoria Mehaut, or Giussepa have already switched to the platform for several months, others have just signed their arrival. This is the case of Maeva Ghennam. The one who was previously one of the highest paid reality TV influencers – up to 400,000 euros per month, according to specialists in the sector – launched his YouTube channel at the end of March, which already has 22,000 subscribers. On the program, videos “in the shoes of” where the starlet tests different professions. “They are more and more to put themselves there because they can gain enormously”, recognizes Jeff Lang 2 VIP. But not everyone is Squeezie or Mc Fly & Carlito. “It can work if they are creative, if they have something to offer. Laura Lempika has dedicated her channel to her life as a mom, on that of Hilona, we follow her business and her daily life, and Bastos, he was a youtuber before arriving in reality TV. It’s not just fun, it’s real work, ”he continues.
Other former reality TV candidates offer more intimate content on the Mym or Only Fans platforms. For a subscription, they offer private content, often erotic and sometimes pornographic. If Adrien Laurent, Illan Castranovo, Nathalie Andréani and Gabano have been registered for a few years, other candidates, such as Julien Bert, Mélanie Dedigama or Amandine Pellissard, the former participant of the program “Large Families”, decided to play the game.
And if the candidates choose this path, it is because it can pay off big. Prices vary from ten to several hundred euros for a photo or video, depending on the “service”. Like Nathalie Andréani, who said on the set of “Touche pas à mon poste” earn nearly 100,000 euros per month with this content. Amandine Pellissard, she admitted to having accumulated more than 26,000 euros in earnings in less than two months. “It pays more than product placements”, she explained to the microphone of Jeremstar. “In terms of income, it can go very high. But you shouldn’t get started just for profit, because once you’re on these platforms, it’s an image that sticks to your skin and it’s almost impossible to get rid of it, “warns Nisrine. Boussarhane.