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Author: Scott Guthrie | #059 | 08 June 2022

Influencer Marketing | Social Platforms | Quick Links | Column

Fashion Nova added to ASA’s non-compliant online advertisers list

Fashion Nova has broken UK ad rules for failing to ensure its influencers adopt clear and prominent ad disclosure on social media. The CAP Code holds both brand and influencer jointly responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules, so Fashion Nova shares responsibility for ensuring that content produced on their behalf by influencers is above board. This is the first firm I recall being added to the ASA’s wall of shame for repeatedly flouting influencer rules.

Due to the fast-fashion firm’s non-compliance and apparent disregard for the CAP Code, the CAP Compliance team took the decision to place the company on the ASA’s list of non-compliant advertisers. Published on the 6th of June 2022, these details shall remain in place until the CAP Compliance team is satisfied that a significant behavioural change has occurred, demonstrated by a notable improvement in ad labelling practices by Fashion Nova influencers.

Two-thirds of Australian influencers want more training support

More than two in five (43%) aussie influencers cite a lack of training support from industry and Government bodies. Online design and printing service Vista commissioned a YouGov survey of 500 Australian influencers. Other findings from the study include:

52% want to grow their reach beyond social media
49% want to broaden their social media presence onto other platforms
48% want to have a more stable and predictable income
A quarter of survey respondents (25%) cited unstable or unpredictable income as a challenge
22% complained that brands didn’t understand how to best work with them
15% reported not being taken seriously as business people

10 content creator commandments: a how-to guide for aspiring creators

Two content creators, Brendan Jordan and Kurt Tocci, share their manifesto for aspiring creators: consistency, individuality, relatability, and mentorship.

Influencers in the Wild gets Zucked

Who doesn’t love @influencersinthewild, the Instagram profile capturing wannabe influencers lost in their own world, oblivious to whoever’s around them, filming for the ‘Gram? The Instagram account boasts 4.8m followers - including Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg recently slid into the DMs of the influencersinthewild team headed up by George Resch: teasing “I’ve got a great influencers in the wild photo for you”. The Zuck came good on his claim and shared this photo.

Influencer Marketing | Social Platforms | Quick Links | Column

Pearpop launches subscription docuseries on TikTok

Pearpop, a start-up for creators to buy and sell collaborations with other influencers, has launched a subscription comedy series streaming exclusively on TikTok’s live events platform. The first two episodes are free to view. Watching all eight 30-minute episodes will set you back $4.99.

China’s big tech firms report weakest quarterly earnings in more than a decade

China’s big tech firms have reported their weakest quarterly earnings in more than a decade. Tencent Holdings Ltd., China’s most valuable company, reported virtually zero growth in the last quarter. Analysts warn of an even worse quarter ahead marked by weaker ad sales and consumer spending.

Don’t call it a comeback: Bytedance looks to India

TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, is looking to strike a new partnership in India, according to The Economic Times. Bytedance was forced to exit India - one of the world's largest internet markets - last year amid geopolitical tensions. The short-form video app opener is to staff up with former and new employees.

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Influencer Marketing | Social Platforms | Quick Links | Column

→ “The more you use the Internet, the more your individuality warps into a brand, and your subjectivity transforms into an algorithmically plottable vector of activity.” Cheery stuff from Justin E. H. Smith, a professor of philosophy at the Université Paris Cité, taken from his new book: ‘The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is’.

→ A third of Americans (36%) earning $250,000 live paycheck-to-paycheck, according to a survey by industry publication Pymnts.com and LendingClub Corp [Bloomberg].

Influencer Marketing | Social Platforms | Quick Links | Column

The Depp-Heard trial: rise of the news influencer

Last month, attorney Adam Waldman - who represented Johnny Depp against Amber Heard’s abuse allegations in 2016 - testified that he shared numerous phone calls with “internet journalists.” Waldman used the term ‘journalist’ to differentiate them from mere internet users. His meaning was clear: Waldman was speaking regularly with influencers. “I communicate with the internet journalists exactly the same way I’d communicate with the mainstream media” he said. Waldman saw the value of forming a working relationship with industry voices in order to amplify his client’s point of view.

There is, however, one significant difference between influencer and journalist: “creators aren’t beholden to any editorial standards or journalistic norms,” tweeted Kat Tenbarge, a reporter at NBC News covering the trial.

This lack of overarching professional organisation for influencers translates into a lack of codified ethical framework. To better understand journalistic ethics, you can read the code of ethics created by the Society of Professional Journalists in the United States, or that of the National Union of Journalists in the United Kingdom. In doing so, you’ll often find common ethical tenets across the globe, say Dr Mariah L. Wellman et al, in their 2020 article for the Journal of Media Ethics, Ethics of Authenticity: Social Media Influencers and the Production of Sponsored Content.

There is, however, no comparable body able to speak for such a diverse and disparate group of social media professionals. A negative outcome may be the spread of disinformation by bad-actor influencers. Another may be the accidental spread of misinformation by a new class of ultracrepidarian news influencer.

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Newsletter 059 can be found in full here