Firstly, I will admit one thing. While I used to be one of those people who constantly complain about how the Kardashians' represent fame without talent, in the past six months I have drastically changed my tune. Despite how much everybody loves to put them down for 'accomplishing nothing important', they do in fact have a talent. Besides their own individual talents, their collective talent is being successful businesswomen, establishing a brand for themselves and providing people with entertainment. Whether you like it or not, there's no denying that the Kardashian clan generates public interest and I personally think that is a talent within itself. We could sit here and argue about how 'beneficial' said talent is to the state of the world, but I for one have learned that it's not only futile, but detrimental, to waste time attempting to undermine their family's success. So yep, I admit that I am an avid watcher of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. After many years of expressing my dislike for their family, probably just because it was the 'cool' thing to do, I now even follow the Jenner sisters on Instagram and get excited every time I spot Kendall in the newest fashion campaign.
Despite my new-found love for the Kardashians, I have to say that I am not best pleased with their newest business venture - personalised apps/websites for each member of the family. While the idea within itself seems great, the problem I have with it is the painful price of $2.99 (£2.29 here in the UK) per month. That might not seem like a lot but if you think about how there will be five separate apps, that's $179 per year. And for what exactly?!
In the words of the family themselves, 'Kim’s will feature fashion and selfies. Kendall’s will show off her adventures, often shot from a GoPro camera. Kylie is into makeup and her dog, Kourtney focuses on being a mom, and Khloé has a strong bent on fitness.' Umm so basically identical to all the other generic content that many other bloggers/YouTubers publish for free? I don't know about you, but I am not that interested in the Kardashians' daily life to pay for such dull content.
While I agree that creatives should be paid for their work, I really fail to see how it's necessary to make your readers pay just to even VIEW your content. Imagine if all us bloggers started charging people to follow us? Or to click on our websites? It's ridiculous. And even more so coming from a family as wealthy and successful as them. I'm sure they're getting paid billions just to mention companies and drive sales through their shoppable links on the app - do they really need to charge their fans too?
It just seems very strange to me. I guess it's because I'm failing to see their apps/websites as having that much value. Or maybe we're just used to the idea of blogs being put out there for free that it seems weird to have to pay for them? Perhaps the Kardashians are taking a great step by assigning value to bloggers? It's a difficult one. Their mentality may be beneficial to the blogging community in general, but I can't help feeling like it comes across as very greedy and unnecessary on their behalf.
My verdict? Charge brands/companies to sponsor you BUT don't charge your fans for a subscription which probably won't change their lives in any way. Like, at all. I think the Kardashian game is worth paying for more than this...
What do you think of the Kardashians pricing their apps at $2.99 per month?
This is absurd. We can see all of their adventures and posing selfies on websites like the Daily Mail and Instagram, and their TV show. They're just money-grabbing rich kids. Ergh.
ReplyDeleteLaura @ Lolaandbehold
I downloaded Kylie's app yesterday and was SO shocked at the fact it's a subscription service! I will be taking advantage of the 7 day free trial as I do enjoy following the Kardashians, but I certainly won't be paying for it. I'm actually really glad a post has been written about this as I now realise I'm not the only one who is baffled by this! xx
ReplyDeleteKathryn | Chapters of Kat ❤