As a digital marketing company, we understand the importance of online influencers and the trends that they create. Having the power to endorse products and services to a large audience can greatly impact small businesses looking for exposure. But, the question is whether they do it ethically.
Social media influencers have evolved into contemporary celebrities, wielding the power to sway consumers’ decisions and shape trends. Their endorsements usually result in a substantial boost in a company’s brand visibility, engagement, and sales. Importantly businesses understand that paying an influencer to promote a product can lead to hesitation from consumers when they know it’s a paid advert. But is this really a bad thing? In 2022, TikTokers with and without large followings proved they could impact the sales of beauty products in remarkable ways. They drove products new and old to sell out overnight and racked up substantial waitlist numbers for brands.
Not long after E.l.f. introduced the $14 Halo Glow Liquid Filter in July, Mikayla Nogueira identified it as a counterpart to Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter. This sparked a rapid surge for the product, amassing a waitlist of 75,000 individuals.
Influencer marketing has proved effective it’s not without its pitfalls and there is an emerging issue of fake promotions. Fake promotions can be as simple as featuring a product in a video without disclosing that the influencer is being paid. Leading viewers to believe that the influencer uses the product regularly.
Along with the influx of paid advertisement, social media platforms like Facebook/Instagram, TikTok and Twitter (Platform X) now offer users the option to purchase the blue tick. Originally, this badge served as a means to prevent impersonation and reassure users that they were interacting with genuine accounts. Likewise, as more accounts gain verification through purchase rather than merit, questions about their legitimacy arise. Leading to eroded trust and potentially harming businesses.
To address the growing concerns surrounding influencer marketing, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has updated its guidance. The FCA aims to ensure that influencers and brands are transparent in their promotions and disclosures. The updated guidance emphasises the importance of clearly indicating when a post is a paid promotion and urges influencers to be honest in their recommendations.
As a digital marketing company, ethics around building trust between brands and consumers is at the forefront of all our campaigns. In our opinion, authenticity should be at the core of every marketing campaign. 62% of consumers in a recent poll consider it morally questionable for influencers to endorse products they haven’t personally used. Likewise, before featuring unfamiliar items on your platform, take a moment to reflect on their alignment with your values. Consider your audience’s preferences, convictions, and purchasing intentions.
So, what’s your opinion on marketing your products via media influencers?
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