The Value of ‘Influencers’

For decades, people have looked to recommendations from “trusted sources.” This is a common practice in advertising for example; we’ve all seen products that are promoted by actors and actresses who swear to their value. On the web I’ve actually found a site that reads, “Choose the Right Celebrity … to Promote Your Products.” Seems that just about anyone can be bought.

Some celebrity endorsements, according to USA Today, include Tom Brady as the spokesperson for Uggs, Chrissy Teigen promotes Blue Apron and actress Gina Rodriguez pimps FabFitFun.

I think it’s a sad commentary that there are some consumers who buy stuff based solely on the endorsement by a celebrity. I mean do they have that much influence? Apparently so – and they always have.

They’re now defined as influencers ­­– people who can sway another person’s actions. Of course, today there are many more platforms where opinion can be swayed – especially on social media, which is a scary idea considering that just about anything can be written – and believed – on social media.

So is the CV Weekly an influencer? I mean this newspaper has promoted food drives, prom dress collection and all types of events. Of course, we typically promote those things that we believe in. And our advertisers understand that we have worked hard to build a reputation of being a trusted resource for our local communities.

While I won’t go out on a limb and say that yes, CVW is an influencer, I will say what I’ve repeatedly said: the goal of CV Weekly is to provide trusted information to our readers who are intelligent and, given reliable information, can make their own decisions.

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Steve and I had a great time in Cambria last weekend. And from what I understand the kids who attended Prom Plus on Saturday night/Sunday morning also had a great time. Whether it was hanging out and learning to play games in the casino, riding the zip line or ascending the climbing wall, they all seemed happy to have made Prom Plus part of the night’s (or morning’s) plans.

Many people over the years have asked how the date of prom (and consequently Prom Plus) is chosen. From what I understand, the junior class at CV High chooses the prom theme and the date of prom for their senior year. This year’s event was uncharacteristically early. For years, prom was held on the Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend. A couple of years ago that tradition changed and Prom Plus had to adapt.

I will say, though, that having prom and Prom Plus the same weekend as Mother’s Day was not a good decision. The number was down of attendees to Prom Plus – though the number of volunteers was up. From what I heard there were a lot of volunteers who were absolutely overwhelmed with how great the event is (it’s held at the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA) and promise to be a part of the 2024 event.

That’s a good thing because Mary O’Keefe and I will be stepping aside from our roles on the Prom Plus board and will only be advisors for the new members. After so many years being involved with Prom Plus, this role will be odd for us but, as I’ve said before, the board should be populated by people who have kids in the school. After all, why should we care more about these students than do their parents?