May 12, 2016, 09:19 AM 
In 2015, AsiaOne released a cryptically titled piece, "Rise of the Influencers", which aptly detailed the rise of the social media influencers, and how they had become the alternate voice of youths.
Similarly, Huffington Post stated last year that one of the main draws of using a social media influencer to promote your brand is their credibility.
"The authenticity and trust that influencers have built with followers gives them the credibility of a friend or family member, which in turn gives your brand credibility."
A much less talked-about aspect of the rise of these social media celebrities was the potential pitfall associated with their increasing influence.
An article by Cyberalert, a media monitoring and PR measurement website, warned companies of the harms of overusing social media influencers for their products.
"Brands continue to pursue influencer marketing with vigor – perhaps too much vigor. Brands that build unnatural relationships with influencers risk undermining the influencer’s credibility with followers, an outcome that harms both the influencer and the brand’s marketing efforts."
Beverage manufacturer Marigold, obviously did not get the memo.
This was a post by Naomi Neo, a social media influencer, on her Instagram page.
In case you can't see the caption, here is what it reads.
The weather lately has been crazy lah!!! 35 degrees is insane, so I'm always carrying around a carton of my favorite MARIGOLD PEEL FRESH juice (cos Juices > Water any day) which helps me stay fresh and hydrated! :)
How unbelievable is this? Over on Facebook, the negative comments questioning the sanity of carrying a one-litre carton of drink around had mysteriously disappeared. 
But she's not the only one touting the benefits of apple juice. A few other social media influencers had also spontaneously decided to lift up a carton of Marigold and take an Instagram-worthy picture.
They didn't explicitly state that the posts were sponsored though. But we're not even going to heap blame on these influencers as they aren't technically doing anything wrong.
[related_story]
Here's YouTube video face Tan Jian Hao somehow eschewing water for the perks of sour stuff.
Part of the reason I cut my hair is also because it's just so so so hot. I've been drinking so much water. My fridge is just full of cold drinks. I'm not sure about you guys but I really love sour stuff as well like the MARIGOLD PEEL FRESH Lime! Try it! #peelfreshsg #filluponfreshness #besmitten #healthyliving A photo posted by JianHao Tan (@thejianhaotan) on
Here's the handsomest Kheng alive, and 1/4 of local band The Sam Willows, Benjamin Kheng, with his bae, a carton of fruit juice.
And Rachel Wong, a social media influencer with over 100,000 followers on Instagram, falling madly in love with a different carton of fruit juice.
#BeSmitten by the new #PeelFreshSG SELECT MOMO.. It's love at first taste and high in vitamins A, C and E. What's not to love? ? A photo posted by ✘ Rachel Wong 誼恩 ✘ (@rchlwngxx) on
But why are they promoting it? Let's take a look back at Cyberalert's quote on social media influencers.
"Brands continue to pursue influencer marketing with vigor – perhaps too much vigor. Brands that build unnatural relationships with influencers risk undermining the influencer’s credibility with followers, an outcome that harms both the influencer and the brand’s marketing efforts."
What does Marigold have to do with fashion, or YouTubing, or music, or whatever else these people specialise in?
There's one very prominent thread connecting all of the above social media influencers though, they all have more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Marigold wouldn't be the first brand to overuse social media influencers and they will, sadly, not be the last.
But when your only criteria for hiring social media influencers to endorse your brand is their popularity, it fosters an unnatural relationship between brands, influencers and influenced that lessens credibility across the board.
Leading to stilted messages like advocating carrying cartons of fruit juice around with you.
Top image from Naomi Neo's Instagram page
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