意见领袖营销报告：信任、交易和引领潮流的人.pdf

Trust, transactions and trend-setters The realities of influencer marketingPREPARED BY THE PHA GROUP, AUGUST 2019ContentsINTRODUCTIONForeword from Takumi.01INTRODUCTIONSurvey results.02SECTION 1Legislation.04SECTION 2Authenticity .07SECTION 3Influence and Trust.09SECTION 4Creativity versus Control.11SECTION 5The future Whats in store for the next 12 months?.14SECTION 6Conclusion .16APPENDIXMethodology and Contributions.181IntroductionThe social media influencer landscape has seen several twists and turns in 2019. From the fallout from Fyre Festival through to Marissa Fuchs elaborate Instagram proposal1, which was a carefully orchestrated series of brand partnerships - both are prime examples of inauthenticity that led to substantial public backlash. The industry and influencers themselves are, quite rightly so, under more scrutiny than ever. It is vital if marketers, brands, and influencers are all going to continue to derive value and creativity from the sector.While there are nuances of measurement and ROI as the sector continues to evolve, are there more significant factors at play around consumers and brands trust in influencers and vice versa? We have spoken to over 4,000 consumers, marketers, and influencers across the UK, US, and Germany to dig into the real and contrasting opinions about what the legislative and creative landscape of Instagram influencer marketing holds. Trust is strong across the industry, but relationships between brands, consumers, and influencers are becoming both more important and nuanced. HINT: its not about who you know, but how well you know them Consumers are, more than ever, being swayed by influencers when it comes to purchasing decisions. Somewhat unsurprising, this is most true of 16-24-year olds, 60% of whom credit influencers with purchases they have made in the past six months. This result represents a 13% rise in the UK consumers who responded to our 2018 study into the link between Instagram and purchasing behavior.More broadly, it was interesting to see this year that 17% of 55+ year olds in the UK and US said that social media advertising in general impacts their purchasing decisions a sizeable proportion.The following report will contrast the opinions and perspectives of people from all sides of the influencer marketing industry, with a focus on four key themes; Legislation, Authenticity, Influence & Trust, and Creativity & Control all central to successful collaborations.FOREWORD FROM TAKUMImixplorAdam Williams (Sven) Chief Executive OfficerTakumi1 independent.co.uk/life-style/influencer-fashion-marissa-casey-fuchs-surprise-wedding-proposal-marketing-stunt-a8968496.html2Survey resultsINTRODUCTIONnatinstablogUS & UK 39%DE 55%39% of US & UK marketers & 55% German marketers want complete control over the caption and visual of an influencers postGerman marketers prioritise an influencers creativity and style when collaboratingHowever US & UK Marketers prioritise clear communicationUS 56%UK 46% of influencers trust brands to work with them fairlyDE 38%40% of consumers trust brands to be transparent about gifting or paying influencers3US & UK 71%DE 63% of consumers who will unfollow influencers if they find out they had bought fake followersUS & UK 67%DE 57% of consumers who will unfollow influencers if they find out they had incorrectly labelled paid posts (not making clear what is an ad)Influencers fake followers or inflated metrics are marketers shared main concern#FAKE4LegislationSocial media platforms themselves have played a large part in enforcing rules - and have developed capabilities that make ad labeling possible.But are influencers, marketers, and consumers aware of, and do they fully understand the guidelines? In the UK and US, 88% of marketers felt the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) or Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) respective guidelines on labeling paid-for influencer content were clear. In Germany, this was significantly lower, with 52% of marketers understanding the Medienanstaltens guidelines. While marketers are mostly clear on the guidelines across all three nations, many called on further development or clarification on these guidelines. As a relatively new medium, the rules and regulations around influencer marketing are still undergoing development in many countries, and its clear the majority support this. More than half (56%) in the UK and the US felt the ASA or FTC guidelines, although clear, did need further development. In Germany, 35% also called for further clarification.In the UK, less than a fifth (19%) of marketers flagged influencers not labeling posts correctly as a top concern, while in the US only a quarter (25%) were concerned. Shockingly, just 4% of German marketers who work with influencers were concerned about incorrect labeling of posts, despite the fact that only 10% said they trust influencers. This could be because they feel the regulations are clear for everyone involved - or was it because marketers feel labeling is not their responsibility? These are all of the issues we will explore. SECTION 1marjanne.coCompared to more traditional mediums, such as TV and radio advertising, influencer marketing is a relatively new form of brand promotion, and as such the rules and regulations have rapidly taken shape - and are still evolving. 5But what do influencers themselves think about the guidelines? In the UK and US, influencers seem confident in their understanding of the respective ASA or FTC guidelines for labeling paid-for content with 87% confirming this. However, due to the changing landscape in the industry, influencers are in agreement with marketers that legislation is an evolving process. “I dont think the guidelines are all encompassing yet. There are some instances & conditions which arent covered in the guidelines yet or ones that beg further detail. I think these will be updated as the industry grows further. Its great to finally have a concrete starting point to help provide legal structure to this industry though,” says UK fashion, lifestyle, and beauty Influencer Bushra Sidd, bsiddlife.The German market has the least clarity. While an overwhelming majority (96%) of German marketers who work with influencers were not concerned about influencers labeling posts, German influencers themselves do not have a good understanding of their obligations. Only 1 in 7 (11%) of German influencers are confident and completely understand their responsibilities in relation to Medienanstalten guidelines for labeling posts. This creates a massive risk for brands who place trust in influencers to self-regulate and illustrates the huge education piece still required in order to safeguard brands and consumers from misleading unregulated promotions. To mitigate risks, more and more brands are turning to trusted influencer marketing platforms to monitor and manage their compliance obligations.Influencers arent alone in seeking clarity on signposting paid-for content. UK fashion and lifestyle influencer Ama Godson, amagodson_a, says “Takumi is very clear on each posts instructions regarding what is required for the ASA guidelines and declaring paid posts but other brands I work with are not as stringent or clear, so I guess this is where the uncertainty lies.”Despite increasing penalties being issued by governing bodies for incorrectly labeled paid content, it seems some influencers actually feel pressured by brands to not disclose brand partnerships presumably in an attempt to make endorsements feel more organic.Shockingly, 62% of influencers across all three territories have been pressured by brands to contravene the guidelines at least once. Thankfully, 28% of this group say this is a rare occasion. A further 37% of UK influencers never feel pressured by brands.UK Marketers87%UK Influencers87%Figure 1 - How clear are the guidelines on fraud?Are the legislative guidelines clear? Yes! say.US Marketers89%US Influencers97%DE Marketers52%DE Influencers38%6But this will not cut it. Consumers are aware of how paid partnerships work and have come to expect that brands and influencers are transparent about content that has been created in a commercial arrangement. Failing to be transparent or correctly label content will create further confusion and doubt for consumers about what can be trusted. Not only that, the ASA does have the power to impose sanctions on both brands and the influencers they work with2- and the responsibility lies with both parties. At Takumi, our proprietary platform notifies us if influencer posts are non-compliant, for example, if specific signage is removed. Including #AD should be the bare minimum, but we have recently updated our ways of working so that all influencers have to start their posts caption with #AD before any other text, for absolute clarity. Our technology flags when influencers have submitted content that isnt correctly signposted as sponsored and these posts are removed automatically. We also dont pay our influencers unless posts are legally compliant for posting.Authentic collaborations, whether paid-for or otherwise do not turn consumers off. Clearly, signposted partnerships will only boost consumer confidence towards all involved. Consumers will not tolerate obfuscation, as we will discuss later. Famous Famous or Insta-FamousAlong with influencers and brands themselves, the governing advertising bodies are also playing a role in shaping the profile of influencers - and how they compare to celebrities. Interestingly, more than 3 in 5 consumers (62%) agree that they understand the difference between an influencer and a celebrity, with almost a quarter (23%) strongly agreeing. While the general public might make a clear distinction between traditional celebrities and “Insta-famous” influencers with a large social profile, the UKs advertising regulatory body has recently brought this distinction into question. When ruling on a case in July 2019, the ASA said, “over 30,000 followers indicated that Sarah Willox Knott had the attention of a significant number of people. Given that she was popular with, and had the attention of a large audience, we considered that ThisMamaLife was a celebrity for the purposes of the CAP Code.”Willox Knotts 32,000 followers would, by many peoples definition, class someone as a micro-influencer. There is clearly a grey area between public and industry perception and that of the regulator. Surprising many in the industry, this ruling means many influencers may now be subject to tighter regulation on paid partnerships and brand endorsements, including restrictions on the types of products they can promote. 2 asa.uk/codes-and-rulings/sanctions.html7AuthenticityAd DisclosureAcross many markets, the advertising standard bodies are cracking down on influencer marketing, enforcing the correct labeling of paid-for posts and gifted products on social media sites. This has raised awareness of the issue among consumers, who are increasingly conscious about this in the broader context of whether brands and influencers can be trusted.Just over a third (37%) of the UK, US and German consumers surveyed trust influencers to clearly signpost paid partnerships using the #ad or paid partnerships tag. However, in the UK and US, 67% of consumers said they would unfollow an influencer if they discovered they had incorrectly labeled posts, along with 57% of the German consumers surveyed. This shows that for influencers, consumer trust is hard to win - but easy to lose. That said, the specifics of labeling paid posts is just one element that affects perceptions of influencers authenticity, and therefore their impact (for brands). Fake followers, disingenuous endorsements, and the promotion of unrealistic or unsustainable lifestyle or body images all ranked as the top concerns consumers hold regarding influencers.Influencers themselves also expect their peers to disclose paid partnerships. UK-based fashion, lifestyle and travel influencer Michael Joseph Hardwick, michaeljosephhardwick, says:SECTION 2romeosfashionfixI REALLY DISLIKE THOSE THAT CLEARLY ARE ADVERTISING SOMETHING THEY DONT ACTUALLY USE AND WOULDNT USE, AND DONT EVEN CLAIM THAT ITS AN AD.” AUTHENTICITY IS KEY FOR SUCCESSFUL CONTENT.“#AD#AD#AD#AD#AD#AD#AD#AD #AD#AD #AD”8Portrayal of RealityInstagram has always been an aesthetically focussed channel, with influencer content taking aspirational visuals to a new level. But the tide is turning, as the conversation around mental health, social media pressure, and body image increases. Consumers are seeking more realistic, authentic, and diverse content on social media and beyond.Our study showed that the majority of consumers across the UK (68%), US (78%) and Germany (61%) said they would unfollow an influencer if they found out they had promoted unrealistic or unsustainable lifestyles or body image. Furthermore, an even higher proportion (67% UK, 80% US and 61% Germany) would unfollow an influencer if they found out they had dramatically misrepresented themselves or their lifestyle to followers. This is where brand partnerships which are not based on shared values and a real relationship can backfire on both the creator and brand. Consumers are increasingly opposed to influencers using Photoshop to dramatically edit their body, or their location and lifestyle. There have been cases of extreme post augmentation bringing influencers under fire, and TV personalities from Kim Kardashian to Geordie Shores Holly Hagan have been accused of photoshopping their faces and bodies. UK fashion and lifestyle influencer Ama Godson, amagodson_a, is one of many influencers keen to see brands diversify further when working with influencers:nullWhenever new campaigns come out for new collection release, it seems that brands are constantly working with the same faces on each campaign. It would Figure 2 Top reasons people unfollow influencersDisingenuous endorsements72%The promotion of unrealistic or unsustainable lifestyle or body images69%Influencers dramatically misrepresenting themselves or their lifestyle was also a big turn off69%Has bought fake followers68%12341234be great to see different faces I believe there are some brands out there that are trying to be inclusive as well as diverse each time they release new produc