What’s in a name: creator, influencer, celebrity?
Changes are afoot in influencer marketing in the UK. The influencer economy is on a journey of professionalizing and with that comes increased scrutiny from both government and advertising watchdogs. Last month the Digital Culture Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) called for the government to legislate on influencer marketing and the marketplace there is gauging what it all means.
An article by Hannah Bowler in UK trade publication The Drum this week asked whether a crackdown on influencers then raises the question - why should they comply if the rest of the industry isn’t equally regulated?
Currently regulation being reviewed in the UK covers a range of areas:
The DCMS is investigating the influencer pay gap
MPs have called for legislation to protect ‘kidfluencers’
The Body Image Bill, which would require influencers to disclose edited images, is being debated in parliament
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is adding influencers to its ‘name and shame’ list for failing to disclose
The question has also been raised by industry commentator Scott Guthrie that there needs to be more clarity regarding the distinction of different types of ‘influencers’. It is not a one title fits all and he puts forward the argument that the marketing industry needs to better differentiate between titles and terms to avoid blanket style regulation that would stifle the industry.
In his Fourth Estate blog piece Scott points to the fact that: “There is a distinction between celebrities such as actors, singers, sports personalities, fashion models, and reality TV stars made famous outside social media - but who use social media for their personal and professional promotion - and content creators who were 'born on social media' and who are exclusively known for their activity there. The latter have often spent years honing an online presence, developing subject matter expertise, and nurturing an online community. The former - especially reality TV stars - have often had large social media followings thrust upon them.
The differences are significant when considering frequency of offence for failing to effectively disclose ads. The ASA's wall of shame is a year old this month. To date, 21 'influencers' have been added to the register. All bar one has been reality TV stars rather than content creators. The exception came this week with the addition of Jacqueline Osborne. Osborne played Lauren Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders until 2018. However, more recently she won the TV game show ‘ I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!’”
Australia isn’t yet in the throes of this sort of government scrutiny, however it is a pointer towards issues that we may need to address in the future.