According to the guidelines, all ads posted by social media influencers, or their representatives, on such influencers’ accounts must carry a disclosure tag that clearly identifies it as an ad.
Following the draft guidelines for influencer advertising in digital media issued in February by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the advertising body released the final guidelines on Thursday. The guidelines oblige influencers to tag the promotional content they post and will be applicable to commercial messages or advertisements posted as of June 14, 2021. “As digital media consumption becomes the norm, the distinction between Promotional content and ads becomes critical. The marketing landscape is transforming and influencer marketing has gone mainstream. Therefore, consumers have the right to know what content brands have paid for and the guidelines are intended to bring this transparency to influencer marketing, ”ASCI said in a statement.
According to the guidelines, all ads posted by social media influencers or their representatives on the social media influencers’ accounts must carry a disclosure tag that clearly identifies it as an ad. For industry experts, ASCI guidelines will impact the influencer marketing space in a positive way. “The guidelines mean that there is recognition for the entire industry. Bringing the industry under these guidelines in terms of transparency and accountability will bring more credibility in what an influencer says, ”said Ambika Sharma, founder and CEO of Pulp Strategy, adding that a lot of restraint will take place. Take responsibility for everyone in the ecosystem, from brands to influencers to agencies, to follow these guidelines.
Additionally, a disclosure is required if there is any material connection between the advertiser and the influencer, where the material connection is not limited to monetary compensation. The material connection may include, but is not limited to, benefits and incentives, such as monetary or other compensation, free products with or without attached conditions, including unsolicited received, discounts, gifts, entries in contests and sweepstakes, travel or hotel stays , media exchanges, coverage, prizes or any family or work relationship, among others. According to Ambi Parameswaran, founder of Brand-Building.com, getting a sample pack of a certain product instead of getting a certain amount for promoting the same product cannot be bundled. “Also, like many global companies they have certain corporate governance rules that allow accepting or giving gifts of value for money. Similarly, putting a limit in terms of value or amount, for example gifts above these amounts would be considered sponsored, should be considered by the industry, ”he added.
When asked if these guidelines will affect influencers’ creative freedom, experts said that creative freedom depends on the conversation between the brand / agency and the creator. “Adding a disclosure label for a paid society will not change that in any way. Influencers may initially see a drop in audience for paid content, although I think if their brand integrations are subtle and organic enough, their audiences would have no problem supporting branded content videos. ”Viraj Sheth, co-founder and Monk Entertainment CEO stated.
ASCI guidelines also state that disclosure by the influencer must be direct and prominent so that it is not overlooked by the average consumer. Also, if the ad is just an image or video post with no attached text (such as Instagram or Snapchat stories), the disclosure tag should overlap the image / video and you should make sure that the average consumer can see it. clearly. For Dolly Singh, a digital influencer, the digital marketing space is growing rapidly and so are its participants. “This is the right time to have a codified disclosure system. I fully support this move by ASCI because it will result in viewers having even greater trust in influencers like me, ”he added.
Also read: ASCI issues final guidelines for influencer advertising in digital media
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