ステマ

• 読み: ステマ
• ローマ字: sutema
• 漢字の分解: Abbreviation of ステルスマーケティング (suterusu māketingu), from English 'stealth marketing'
• 発音: /sɯ.te.ma/

意味

Stealth marketing — hidden or disguised advertisements pretending to be genuine recommendations or reviews.

As influencer culture exploded in Japan, so did suspicion around ステマ. The term describes when companies pay for positive coverage that's disguised as organic recommendations — a YouTuber praising a product without disclosing the sponsorship, a review site giving suspiciously high ratings, or an Instagram post that's secretly an ad. Japan introduced regulations requiring disclosure of sponsored content in 2023, but ステマ remains a major trust issue. Calling something ステマ is a serious accusation that can damage both the brand and the influencer.

例文

1. あのインフルエンサーの投稿、完全にステマでしょ。
2. ステマがバレて炎上してるの見た？
3. レビューサイト、ステマだらけで信用できない。

使い方ガイド

場面: social media, internet forums, consumer discussion

トーン: suspicious, accusatory

正しい言い方

• これ、ステマじゃなくて本当におすすめだよ。 (This isn't stealth marketing — I genuinely recommend it.)
• ステマっぽい記事は信用しない方がいい。 (You shouldn't trust articles that look like stealth marketing.)

避ける言い方

• 本当に好きで紹介している人に「ステマ」は侮辱 (Calling someone's genuine recommendation 'stealth marketing' is insulting)

よくある間違い

• Accusing every positive review of being ステマ — sometimes people genuinely like things
• Not knowing that ステマ is now legally regulated in Japan since 2023, making it more than just a social media term

起源と歴史

Abbreviation of ステルスマーケティング (stealth marketing), from English. Became a major buzzword in the early 2010s as influencer marketing grew and consumer skepticism increased. Japan regulated it in 2023.

文化的背景

時代: 2010s influencer culture, 2023 legal regulation

世代: All internet users

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used nationwide. Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency introduced ステマ regulations in October 2023.