It’s been a week of controversy for the subject of social influencers. Following America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) crackdown on paid promotion disclosure, a new survey has revealed that brand silencing is rife. According to the SheSpeaks survey, one in four influencers is asked not to disclose their commercial partnerships with brands.
SheSpeaks interviewed 347 influencers, with 25 per cent of respondents confirming that brands have explicitly requested that they not disclosed they have been paid for promotion. SheSpeaks founder and CEO Aliza Freud says this is poor form on the part of brands: “Any decent influencers are highly aware that they have to disclose and do it properly.”
But this percentage may decrease in time (in America anyway) with the confirmation that the FTC rules are being re-evaluated at present. There is also a rising number of influencers who are aware that acknowledgement of paid promotion is essential – the survey disclosed that 95 per cent make a point to disclose ads to audiences, and 91 per cent that they’re being compensated.
Paid content on social media platforms will no doubt be under the microscope in coming months, with the survey respondents confirming a growing interest. Fifty-four per cent reported an increase in requests from brands for sponsored content in the past year, but they also revealed three key areas of struggle for influencers working with paid content: insufficient briefing from brands, brands not assisting in optimising content by sharing across platforms, and the ability to incorporate a specific brand message with their audience.
