As a consumer we tend to develop brand loyalty over a period of time because of the trust the brands build in our minds by offering quality products/service. Similarly a genuine and trustworthy influencer is something that the consumers/users are in the lookout for in order for them to make product/service purchase. With the rise of fake newbie influencers in the virtual digital marketplace, it is a tad bit difficult for consumers to analyze the genuinity of the brand promoted by the influencer.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has unveiled guidelines for influencer advertising on digital media. Now, influencers will have to go through a regulatory board where it has been made mandatory for them to add the paid promotion label for paid/promoted content / post uploaded by the influencer. This will decrease the tension among users and so will allow them to make calculated and well informed decisions. Since consumers not only buy the products & services endorsed by the influencers, they also connect with the narrative they create around it.
Few of the important points of ASCI
1) Transparency
The guideline is aimed/ focused on providing transparent information to the consumers. Any content (paid or promoted) uploaded will have to be mentioned by the influencer as it wouldn’t mislead the users with false information with regard to any product or service endorsed by the content creator.
Since ASCI doesn’t just comply with influencers, but also for brands as well. As it allows both the parties to be more aware, educated and informed about the product or service campaign that they are signing up for commercial gain.
2) Creative thinking
Creativity and responsibility are not contradictory words. According to ASCI guidelines, the influencer should be creatively responsible while posting/uploading content on digital platforms. The content or post should comply with the guidelines laid down by ASCI and it should also be creative and fresh such that it creates excitement and fun in the minds of the users. Even if it’s paid or unpaid content, influencers should make sure to push their limits in uploading content that is snackable and engaging.
3) Labelling paid promotions/Gifted/ad tags
Very few or a handful of influencers used to label a brand endorsed by them as a paid promotion or a gifted tag. With the new regulatory board, it is necessary for influencers to mark any paid/promoted content as a paid promotion as it showcases both the genuinity of influencers and authenticity of the brand endorsed by them.
With ASCI guidelines, the influencer marketplace will be a more organized and transparent virtual platform for consumers, influencers and brands equally.
Written by Ramya Ramachandran, Founder & CEO, whoppl