Katy Howell, director of marketing agency Rethink Social, says paid advertising “doesn’t necessarily corrupt a recommendation but it changes the context in which that recommendation should be understood, and the audience has a right to know that”.
She adds, “The real test is whether the creator will use the product appropriately, whether they retain enough editorial independence to express objections, and whether the partnership fits into the relationship they have built with their audience.”
Bowes-Lyon acknowledges that audiences have become more aware that influencers are paid for ads, making authenticity even more important.
“People are becoming a little more savvy and for example if a gaming influencer starts talking about a flower shop or something that’s not connected to anything they’ve done, people will understand that,” he says.
He further said that personalities like TV personality Stacey Solomon have made their impact by being selective about what they promote.
“I think Stacey probably rejects 98% of the pitches that come her way.”
Wild’s campaign with Solomon produced over 100 paid ad iterations for social media, each with unique selling positioning to attract different audiences.
Recent ASA Research, external It was found that influencer advertising is much more difficult to identify than traditional brand advertising.
In its test, 74% of participants were sure that a traditional brand post was an ad, compared to only 54% for an influencer ad.
Bowes-Lyon says the influencers she works with “need to believe in what they’re saying, not just saying it because they’re getting a cheque”.
He points to the partnership with Molly-Mae Hague, who used Wilde’s body wash in a video before he came into contact with the brand.
“We had never even spoken to her and she was using our body wash, so we contacted her.”
Howell suspects that “many people understand that influencers are paid, but underestimate both the scale and complexity of the economics”.
“The most prominent creators are no longer simply individuals posting from their bedrooms. Many operate as sophisticated media businesses with managers, agents, production teams, legal advice, licensing arrangements and multiple income streams.”
While ads on social media should be clearly labeled, Howell says #ads is “legally functional but informationally thin”, so more needs to be done to make paid marketing clearer.
