I get asked about this topic more and more frequently these days. What do I think about airsoft celebrities? The truth is airsoft celebrities are all salesmen. There is no airsoft celebrity out there who isn't a salesman. Anybody out there reviewing gear and guns that they didn't buy is a salesman. Anybody who travels to events paid by a sponsor or by the event producer is probably a salesman too. Companies that use high profile people to promote a product are hoping the average Joe will buy the item or attend an event based on the person pushing it. This in turn makes the airsoft celebrity a salesman.

When I was a little more active in the media world and playing more, before I took a break this year, I was offered to go to events. I was offered to look at guns and equipment at no charge in the name of cross promotion. Because even though I wasn't extremely popular and far from the top of the mountain, I still had some reach and any little bit of promotion is what these companies want. But, make no mistake about the really popular people in airsoft. All of those people are given a lot of what they talk about for free, including free admission to events simply to record footage so they can create YouTube videos, for promoting whatever event they were at.

This is the side of airsoft and the celebrity side of the sport that many of the high profile players won't admit to. Some of the regular players can see that celebrities are pushing a product, and many don't care. Whether you care that these celebrities get things for free and go to events for free really isn't what matters. What matters is the fact that some of these people try to pretend like they're just like a normal player. It makes perfect sense for any business. If they want to reach more people with their new product, put it in the hands of somebody in the community who can reach a lot of people already. So with someone who has a high number of Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram followers, of course it makes perfect sense to approach that person and say let's cross promote. I'll promote you and you promote me, everybody gets along.

But are you as a consumer really getting an honest review? Are you getting an honest opinion at that point?

Now, I'm not bashing those who have made a name for themselves in the airsoft community, some of these celebrities are honest and good guys. They are awesome players and best buddies to you on and off the field. No one is saying they are evil people with an agenda of just fooling you. Still, at the end of the day the endorsers still have to answer to those companies that sponsor them, give them gear, and send them to an event. So, it's a lot like a job for them to promote a product. They have to review a product and you can really tell who's being honest or not by how often they negatively talk about the company's products . I mean think about it, not every product a company makes will be perfect. There is likely to be some room for improvement somewhere. It's easy to start to see who's just taking the gift and who was actually reviewing the item honestly. If 10 out of 10 product reviews are all awesome, with no negative or suggestive criticism, it is likely that the reviewers are just pushing the product for the company and not expressing their true opinions. As a matter of fact, most reviewers have to sign agreements that state, that they can't post or say anything negative until they run it by the company first. That's the agreement for getting the product that they accept. Others are afraid to upset potential sponsors and companies by saying anything negative about a product.

If you want to think about it, how often do you see head-to-head reviews comparing products? Very few, because people don't want to upset sponsors or potential sponsors. It's all about keeping a positive sales pitch about everything they can get a hold of, because if they promote the companies, the companies will promote them; you'll follow them and the product will get sold more. Just like products get this polish by celebrities, airsoft events get this polish, too.

Celebrities are invited at no charge to come play events, sometimes hotel and transportation is also covered. All of this is done to produce a video that makes the event look good. They often do multiple takes of gameplay footage because the celebrity had to get things just right because the celeb has to look good and the event has to look good. Some of the game play footage from big celebrities equates to nothing more than a glorified commercial. It's simple marketing, if the big name players have an awesome time at a event, then average players are going to think that the event is awesome, and want to attend, too. Sometimes the producers will set up special scenarios and sequences of events, just for the celebs to get good combat footage. I know it's a little hard to believe that some of these producers can be so intertwined with the celebrity players, that people look to bring an honest view of the world of airsoft, but it does happen.

The reality is, the airsoft industry has moved from being a type of a subculture,and turned into a mainstream marketing environment. In this environment there are going to be spokesmen to promote products and help businesses grow. Even though these people are getting everything for free, or getting a lot of things for free, they are still growing the market. Now, I don't really have a problem with this, it's how business works and it's how the market grows. What I have problems with, is when people pretend like it's not the truth, like it's not real. When celebs say this is my combat footage and we kicked ass, but I was shot five times and that was the best combination of all five takes. I have a problem when the same celebs tell you over and over and over again how great a product is. They never have anything negative to say about anything their sponsor gives them. It's just not honest when the company gives away products and then have high profile people telling others that it's the greatest and you have to have it. The product may be great and may be worth having, but what they forget to tell you, is that it was handed over to them to promote. There is nothing wrong with promoting an item, just be upfront about it.

Now, you might say that the world is filled with celebrities endorsing products, that is true. I'm sure when you see a world famous celebrity holding a soda product or riding in a car, you know that they were paid for that item or that that was a deal. The sad truth is that in the airsoft industry, there are still a lot of people who are naïve to this concept. It is because we believe our subculture is not part of that greater marketing world. But, if you look carefully it's obvious that airsoft; the industry and players, are very much part of that circle now too.

Do I think you should now be in an uproar over the fact that airsoft celebrities are taking products and going to events simply to promote things? The simple answer is...No. Many of the celebrity players have a true passion for the sport, which is why they got into airsoft in the first place. I just caution airsoft consumers to see beyond the sales pitch. Understand the reality, that some of the reviews from your most popular, and most liked airsoft personalities and some of the game footage is not always the most honest perspective. If you are okay with that then continue to follow and continue to admire them. We all know that a magician doesn't really saw a woman in half, but, we still go to see the entertainment. It's the same way with the new videos celebrities post and the lives they live, it's good entertainment. As long as we look at it that way then it's okay.

I do challenge you airsoft celebrities to be more transparent and honest though. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you are successful enough that people gave you things, trust your opinion, and want you to promote their products. It's a sign of achievement, it's a sign of success. Don't lie about your gameplay footage being optimized because you have to answer to important sponsors expecting a certain final product in you footage. It took a lot of time and hard work to get to the position in which you're seen as ambassador of the sport or a promoter of great products. It doesn't have to be you dirty little secret.

I do want to see airsoft celebrities with influence find more positive contributions that they can make to the world of airsoft. You're a celebrity to a lot of kids, you're an important person in the front of the community, you should do something to give back. It's a way of thanking the community for being so good to you. I don't see enough of that in the airsoft world with the celebrities. I say spend a little less time promoting yourself and whatever product has been handed over to you and step out to use your voice and your long reach to influence positive change and progress so that we see more positive things happening in the community. Airsoft celebrities should not only use their fame for rewards, but also for the good of the sport/ hobby they say they love so much.

Like I said before, let's not forget there are some great reviewers and leaders in the community. Not as many as we need in comparison to high profile celebs. But, they are out there spending their money and answering to no one person or company so you can get the most honest truth. Now understand that that kind of honesty doesn't always equal popularity, if you're doing the reviews and making game videos just to be popular then you're not getting it. You're a dime a dozen and why not try to be something different.

There is a reason companies don't give me free stuff and I'm not swimming in the cool swag. I decided not to go down that road. I buy everything I talk about myself and if I'm given something I tell you it was given to me. Even when things are given to me, I will give a 100% honest opinion on the product/event. That may mean I don't get a product from a company a second time, but I'd rather be genuine than get free things. To those of you who are like minded and working hard to do things honestly, keep doing your thing because we need more of you, if this opinion offends you, then you know this is the truth and it is the group you fall into.

Just one grunts opinion,

Javier "Darkhorse"

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About The Author

Javier "Darkhorse" Franco, formerly from This Week In Airsoft, runs his own Airsoft Blog on Facebook called "One Grunt's Opinion." This article has been posted here with the author's permission.