Poll: Do you trust 'influencer advertising'?
The marketing practices of social media stars have been in the spotlight recently.
THE ADVERTISING PRACTICES of so-called social media ‘influencers’ have been under the spotlight in recent times.
Last week, style blogger Rosie Connolly became the first to have a complaint against her upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) for creating “misleading” photoshopped images for a Rimmel make-up promotion.
Figures obtained by Fora showed a massive spike in the number of complaints against influencers – from just 11 in 2016 to more than 100 last year. The ASAI has received 30 complaints so far in 2018.
Influencer advertising has grown in popularity in recent years, with sponsored content on internet stars’ social media channels fetching thousands of euro per post.
A recent report by telco Three suggested that one in four consumers have bought something as a result of recommendations by bloggers.
Despite the ongoing probe of the sector, some might argue that social media stars – many of whom start their blogs and channels as a hobby – might give a more honest, ‘authentic’ review of a product than traditional advertisers.
With that in mind, we’re asking Fora readers this week: Do you trust ‘influencer advertising’?
