The Need for Ethical Influencers

Samantha Taylor

st279916@ohio.edu 

In the age of "fit-tea" and "fat-burning pills" it is inherently important that consumers understand the marketing behind these products. As Instagram has taken storm, the public have seen the age of social media influencers being born. These influencers are people that work with brands to promote their products or services, in return for money or free products. Though, there are ethical limitations to this work; according to the Federal Trade Commission, influencers have to state if the product is an ad or sponsored. This is an important step to protect consumers online, because there are many instances in which influencers (both macro and micro) are not disclosing how they are profiting from their partnership with a brand. 

So the question remains: how do we ensure ethical behavior from influencers?

Huffpost.com

Vetting the Influencers

Looking at this issue from a brands prospective, it would be a perfect world if every user online is a trustworthy and ethical individual-- but that is simply not the case. Although there are thousands of opportunities to partner with influencers, both macro and micro, brands have to dive deeper and investigate for themselves first. Brands can first construct a media influencing vetting program and initiate a team of employees to take the role of background checking and communicating with the potential influencer prior to making a deal. This is the brands reputation on the line and as we all know, humans can be very irrational and reactant individuals online, which could cause conflict for the brand and their audiences. 

Few is Actually More

At first glance, this probably doesn't seem like a great marketing strategy. Though, if I personally see a brand working consciously and intentionally with the same few "influencers" rather than hundreds of random accounts that I have never seen them have a relationship with, I would probably be uneasy.  I enjoy knowing that the brands I am supporting are ethical in not only their products and production, but also with how honest they are to their audiences online. 

Including the words "Ad" or "Sponsored"

Referring back to the FTC, this is one of the rules that influencers have to abide by. As I am on social media quite frequently, I see small micro influencers posting products or giveaways that are sponsored by brands, but are not including the disclosure in their captions. This is a "slippery slope" as many people are influenced by stars and celebrities who are being paid to market something that maybe they don't even use!

According to this website, marketers/advertisers should consider: placement and proximity, prominence, distractions, repetition, and language. When an influencer is making a post, they can ensure language is easily understandable, they post that it is sponsored more than once, it is easy to read (bolded text, emphasis, and not being placed at the end of the caption or blog post). This was something that was not happening frequently enough, until the FTC made a point in 2017 to place rules that influencers had to follow. 

Understanding the benchmarks that are set to be meant by influencers is important for the protection of consumers online. Most importantly, making sure that some of your favorite influencers are abiding by these rules by voicing your thoughts on social media is extremely important. Deception in the digital age is no joke and we have to be able to stand up against the money that is fueling influencers to make us believe something that may be unethical and untrue.