Tag: Influencer Marketing

Mumbai, India – The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released Monday, draft guidelines for influencer advertising on digital media.

The guidelines were established by the regulatory body in response to the surging influencer marketing in the country, and the tendencies following naturally of influencers and marketers to insufficiently identify and distinguish that a digital content is promotional.

According to digital marketing agency AdLift, India’s influencer market is estimated at US$75M to US$150M a year as compared to the global market of $1.75B, and ASCI foresees that such medium is poised to increase further in practice as more Indians go online.

ASCI said that when influencers fail to properly identify promotional content, the non-disclosure is misleading, and therefore a disservice to consumers.

The council’s draft guidelines consist of 10 pointers. The direction mainly guides influencers and marketers on how a disclosure label should rightly appear, and where it must be properly placed within a content to achieve the transparency for audiences and consumers. 

ASCI said that branded and promotional content must be obviously distinguishable by the average consumer from editorial and independent user-generated content. It is not enough that advertisers label the content but that disclosure labels must be from the approved specifications. 

The reason for this is that some consumers may not be familiarized by the creative ways influencers and advertisers choose to deliver disclosure labels, and therefore labels that are not able to follow the approved specifics will not be considered adequate. Examples of these advertisements are paid music promotion in a video or a promotion of a store or a brand through a post on the influencers’ media handle. 

ASCI said the disclosure label must be upfront, such that it should be within the first two lines of accompanying copy in any given platform, not needing to click ‘see more’ or scroll further to see details. It should also be prominently placed, appropriate for the channel, and suitable for all potential devices, meaning the label is visible regardless of what channel, platform, and device is used. 

The disclosure label must also be in English or translated into the language of the ad in a way that will be well understood by the average consumer who is viewing the ad. ASCI also said that blanket disclosures, those that are put in the profile, ‘bio’ and ‘about’ sections of brands and influencers’ social media accounts will not be considered adequate. 

The council has also specified that in instances where an ad is only a posted image such as in Instagram stories or Snapchat, the label needs to be superimposed over the picture and that it must be seen clearly by an average viewer. The same goes with videos, where in cases that the promotional video content does not carry any text, the disclosure label should be superimposed. 

In regards to the video’s length, ASCI has also given a direction. For example, for videos that last 15 seconds or lesser, the disclosure label must stay for a minimum of 2 seconds, while for those that are longer than 15 seconds, but less than 2 minutes, the disclosure label must stay for one-third the length of the video. Meanwhile, for videos that are 2 minutes or longer, the disclosure label must stay for the entire duration of the section in which the promoted brand or its features and benefits are mentioned. 

With audio media, on the other hand, the statement must be clearly announced both at the beginning and at the end of the audio. In addition for social media ads, the council also prohibits filters applied to these types of ads, especially if they exaggerate the effect of the claim that the brand is making, such as shinier hair or whiter teeth. 

It is also expected that the influencer must do their due diligence about any technical or performance claims made by them such as ‘twice as better’, or ‘effect lasts for 1 month’, or the ‘fastest speed’, among others. Due diligence can be verified through correspondence with the advertiser or brand owner confirming that the specific claim made in the ad is with scientific substantiation. 

With the said guidelines, ASCI recommends that the contractual agreement between advertiser and influencer carry such presented clauses pertaining to the disclosure label, use of filters as well as due diligence. 

The guidelines will be available for all stakeholders, including industry, digital influencers as well as consumers for feedback until 8 March, 2021. Based on the feedback and inputs, the final guidelines will be issued by ASCI by 31 March, 2021, and will be applicable to all promotional posts that are published on or after 15th April 2021.

Subhash Kamath, Chairman of ASCI, said that Digital is no longer a niche and that consumers have the right to easily recognize promotional content. 

“The guidelines will help consumers identify promotional content and also guide digital influencers. We look forward to feedback from industry stakeholders, including more influencers, which would help us make the digital space more responsible for all,” said Kamath. 

The guidelines were a collaborative effort with influencers. ASCI teamed up with BigBang.Social, a marketplace for social storytelling, to get India’s leading digital influencers’ views on board.

Dhruv Chitgopekar, CEO of BigBang.Social, said, “We realized the need for a responsible advertising ecosystem in place for influencers; promoting ethical practices, fair & transparent expression. These guidelines will benefit consumers and digital influencers. We firmly believe it is essential for digital advertising platforms too. We are delighted to partner with a self-regulatory body that wants to be inclusive of all stakeholders.”

ASCI’s draft guideines on influencer ads also provides a ready reckoner on disclosure lables for each specific social media platform.

Hong Kong – Media investment company GroupM is continuing its expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, this time launching INCA, an influencer marketing company, to the Hong Kong market.

With this regional expansion, INCA will then allow brand-influencer partnerships to leverage content-driven campaigns. Furthermore, as more brands are reallocating their influencer marketing budget to social media brand engagement, INCA upholds brand safety across using AI technology leverages.

As a study from data company Nielsen shows that economic and social uncertainties have affected brand advertising by means of audience impact, brands have since then ventured out into strategies that are efficient and will have return of investment in no time. Hence, INCA in Hong Kong aims to provide influencer marketing to the local brands by allowing them to collaborate with genuine influencers in spreading the brand, benefiting Hong Kong-based brands from the leveraging strategies from INCA.

“We are committed to helping brands in Hong Kong create the best possible outcomes through our data-driven and brand-safe approach to influencer marketing. Our AI-powered solutions and thorough influencer and content approval processes ensure their investments in influencer marketing inspire their customers, protect their brands, and achieve results that are directly tied to business results,” said Michael Woo (right of banner picture), associate director for Product & Operations at INCA Hong Kong.

INCA is also allowing brands to check the authenticity of their influential marketing strategies through INCATech, a platform that allows brands to check unique creator and audience insights, workflow tools, content amplification, and detailed campaign reporting dashboards which includes Genuity Score.

Screengrab of INCATech Platform
A screen grab featuring the dashboard of INCA’S INCATech platform that monitors partner influencers (Photo Courtesy of INCA)

“Advertisers are faced with the challenge of finding authentic and relevant content creators while ensuring cost-efficiency in their marketing campaigns. Our technology will help equip advertisers, not only in Hong Kong but globally, with data-driven tools that will connect them to genuine influencers and leading publishers in order to achieve their marketing objectives,” said Andy Chung (left of banner picture), head of programmatic at GroupM. 

SingaporeーSoftware technology company AnyMind announces its launch of AnyShop, a one-stop platform for the company’s various eCommerce tool platforms and partnered integrations that will help businesses and influencers build their e-commerce capabilities.

Users can enjoy the leverage of the following platform offerings: eCommerce site analytics, social media analytics, product manufacturing, site development, and partnered integrations. 

Through these analytic platforms, businesses and influencers alike can apply automated push notifications, site speed improvements, and mobile app compatibility, just to name a few. Furthermore, marketing users can track, discover, and manage marketing activities through the company’s in-built platform, AnyTag.

When it comes to product tracking and promotion, users may use AnyFactory, the group’s in-built cloud platform that allows production efficiency by making it a one-stop-shop for sourcing to manage orders across Asia. The company also offers eCommerce site development and partnered integrations through sales channels and online payment providers, such as providing Shopify services for the Japan market.

“True to our renewed mission of making every business borderless, we are breaking down borders within our own products and business lines to create new value for businesses and individuals today. This only adds on to what we’ve developed and achieved for the marketing and entertainment tech spaces, turning us into a true brand enablement platform,” said Kosuke Sogo, CEO and co-founder of AnyMind Group. 

AnyMind envisions in the near future to expand their software platforms by launching a separate logistics management platform for warehousing management, and also an end-to-end solutions for business and individuals from production, marketing, and distribution.

Singapore – GroupM’s influencer marketing solutions INCA has struck a partnership with Hanson Robotics, creator of Sophia, an advanced human-like robot, to make her available as an influencer partner to brands in the APAC region.

Sophia’s collaboration with INCA was officially announced in a virtual presser Aug. 26, where CEO David Hanson introduced Sophia, alongside granting a peek to Hanson Robotic’s Hong Kong-based laboratory.

This will be Sophia’s first ambassadorship work with an agency. Having launched in 2016, the robot has already worked with international brands such as Etihad Airlines and Audi among others.

INCA APAC lead Atique Kazi believes that as an advocate for scientific education and sustainable development, Sophia’s persona will be a natural fit for many brands looking to create compelling engagement around such topics.

“She has the capability to generate facial expression, mirror people’s posture, and discern emotions from the tone of voice, all of which help people to identify and form a connection with her,” said Kazi.

Meanwhile, Hanson Robotics CEO David Hanson commented, “Sophia is our pride, and we trust that her wealth of experience as a global influencer will pave the way for INCA to reach many more milestones in the future.

The world has always been resilient, but the past months have proven to be one of the most comparably difficult challenges that we have faced in a very long time. The rising number of cases of COVID-19 has crippled many citizens and businesses, forcing all of us to hastily adjust to what we would probably consider our “new normal” moving forward.

During this period of lockdowns and social distancing, I’ve seen our clients and partners forcing themselves to quickly adapt work-from-home arrangements with their teams and trying to recreate the traditional office environment through video meetings via Zoom or Google Hangouts.

The social media universe also saw (and judged) influencers and celebrities who made the industry proud because of their philanthropic engagements, be it in the frontlines distributing food and equipment to people in need, or as keyboard warriors making good use of their influence and reach in massive information and donation drives. Some even went as far as organizing and volunteering their personal resources to extend help to as many as they possibly can.

Consumer behavior has changed drastically, maybe the most drastic one I’ve seen in years. Amidst the changes in the way that brands would have to communicate their stories and value propositions in this “new reality,” many marketers may ask, “What are the implications of this “new reality” to the way that we do influencer marketing?” or maybe, “Can we still have campaigns and engage influencers given the current situation?” and possibly, “Is influencer marketing still relevant in this time of a pandemic?”

As someone who’s seen many evolutions and shifts in this industry, I have a couple of thoughts, insights, and recommendations that I could share with you:

1. This is a good time to review and re-align.

If you’re a brand, I suggest it’s high time to review what you value and assess the alignment of your current and potential influencer partners with your brand promise and value proposition.

If you’re an influencer, it’s good to know and be firm about what you believe in and stand for; even better if you could communicate this well in your online channels.

This way, brands and influencers are able to identify if their principles are in alignment, making it easier to work on future engagements.

2. Supercharge your social media presence.

The volume of content and conversations in social media rose in epic proportions, attributable maybe to the fact that many internet users are staying at home with very few things to do. Some brands stood out because of their timely (and very witty) appropriation of trending topics in their promotional materials, which earned them amazing engagement metrics.

Everyone is spending longer hours on social media during this pandemic. I, for one, get all the relevant news and updates through social media; I don’t even turn on the TV anymore. If you want to be where the people are, it’s the best place you can be, so take extra effort to increase your visibility.

Caveat: Stay true to your brand promise and go to where you believe you can create and provide more value. For brands most especially, if TikTok is particularly new to you, I don’t think now is the best time to start. For influencers though, maybe this is a good time to see if TikTok is something that will work for you.

3. Ask yourself, “How can I solve a consumer pain point right now?”

I understand that the “cancel culture” has made it very challenging for people to find their place and post their opinions in the organized clutter of social media. I also recognize that toxic positivity is frowned upon by many, and we all have to tread carefully for fear of offending somebody unintentionally.

My take on this is that different individuals have different ways to cope, and at this time, people also have different pain points that we can provide solutions to. As for me for example, one of my pain points is that I’m not able to take my regular fitness and meditation classes anymore. It’s good that some fitness studios like Plana Forma, White Space Wellness, and Beyond Yoga offer free classes via live guided sessions in social media.

What are other consumer pain points right now and how can we provide solutions to these? Businesses and influencers alike can actually be instruments in providing temporary solutions to these temporary pain points — just a quick fix while everyone is in quarantine. Many people likely have plenty of time in their hands and might have a need for educational articles or videos to consume, new recipes to try, instructions for building DIY stuff, tips for keeping the kids entertained and busy, exercises for physical health and mental stability, or even a simple uplift in spirits during this trying time. Those are just examples of situations where we can fit our narrative, tying the stories we wish to tell to pain points of people we want to speak with and reach.

4. Now is the best time to really show what “authenticity” looks like.

In general, people are interested to see what happens in real life, beyond the glamorous filters of social media. I do not expect people to engage very much with well polished, professionally shot and edited content especially at this time; what they want is content that is raw, real, and speaks to their current reality.

This is a good time for both brands and influencers to talk about a narrative that shows a bit of vulnerability. Unshaved beards? Check. Legit woke-up-like-this face? Check. I-haven’t-taken-a-bath-yet-but-let’s-do-a-video-call-nevertheless? Check. “Realness” is what’s most desired now, and we can make this difficult time more bearable with a trifle of humanity.

The author is Ace Gapuz, Founder & CEO of Blogapalooza. Blogapalooza is the Philippines’ premier influencer marketing company, having 7,000 influencers in its community of influencers and digital content creators.

If you want to be part of MARKETECH Experts Group, please click here.