A review on the use of hidden advertising on Youtube in the context of influenced marketing

With Web 2.0 technology, developments have occurred in the advertising industry. Brands have tended towards new channels that will be an alternative to traditional advertising channels for their advertising efforts. Digital advertisements have gained momentum in recent years as they are a more economical, measurable and modern method compared to traditional channels. However, when it comes to the efficiency of advertising; It has been seen that facts such as credibility, originality or creativity are important. Advertisers have started to use alternative advertising types. One of these ad types is hidden/covert advertising. When it comes to hidden advertising, video content draws attention widely in usage areas. YouTube, which is a video-based social media, is considered a media with productive content in terms of hidden advertising analysis. When we look at the advertisements made on YouTube, it is seen that these advertisements are made by people or accounts called YouTubers that have a high number of followers and have the potential to influence the masses. The cooperation between these people, who are also defined as influential or influencers, and brands is called influencer marketing. In this context, answers were sought to the questions of why and how these hidden advertisements were made, based on the assumption that hidden advertisements were made through influential marketing on YouTube throughout the study. In order to answer these questions, the last ten videos shared by the five YouTube influencers with the highest number of followers in Turkey were analyzed by content analysis method. As a result of the analysis, the question of why hidden ads are made on YouTube; The answers were found from three different perspectives: brands, consumers/audiences and influencers. Brands; It prefers hidden advertisements on YouTube through influencer marketing due to the advantages of using the audience of the YouTube channel, which has a very high number of participants, and the measurability of YouTube advertisements. Influential; it makes hidden advertisements in cooperation with brands as a way of making financial gains over the audiences they already have. From the consumer's point of view, they consciously or unconsciously watch hidden advertisements with the thought that they benefit from the experiences of an influential person they are interested in. The second question that shaped the study was how these covert advertisements were made. At this point, in line with the wishes of the brand, it is at the forefront that the influential people present the product or service to their masses as an experience. As a result of the analysis, it is seen that the influential people integrate the advertisement into a remarkable story and present it to their audience. While the product or service offered by being integrated into the story is brought to the frame more in the form of an image, it is also mentioned with a voice to a lesser extent. In addition, brands evaluate the product or service in terms of the influencer's relationship with the product or service, and collaborate. It has been observed that while the most packaged product category is secretly advertised, the prohibited products are also advertised through hidden advertising. In the study, it is aimed to contribute to the literature in line with the results obtained on why and how hidden advertising is done.