Last Friday, there was a lot of buzz around the findings of an influencer marketing survey that cast the industry into nervous hand-wringing. It turns out that not only did 71% of those surveyed not realise there were rules around the use of influencers in advertising at all, but 44% of respondents felt that influencer marketing is actually damaging to society.
The issue here isn’t influencer marketing itself, however. If the public isn’t aware of the rules then it’s the responsibility of brands and advertisers to educate both creators and consumers on the reality, and to be transparent about the nature of those partnerships.
A change in approach is essential for the stability of the industry. But what is the best way to go about this?
