The rise of influencers posting fake sponsored content to appear more lucrative to brands is just the latest fraudulent activity to hit influencer marketing, and it should encourage marketers to reassess how they choose partners.
Tom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne See more of the Marketoonist here
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Day 8 is cutting the use of large-scale influencers as it looks to harness its own holiday-makers and build a community that will appeal to the younger generation.
General Mills is putting influencer marketing at the heart of its new organic business but it has strict criteria about when to invest revolving around the three Ts and three Rs.
Tom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne See more of the Marketoonist here
Influencer marketing is growing rapidly, but to become a respected channel there are challenges to overcome.
It may be easier to shape the conversation virtual influencers have about your brand, but given their creators are often anonymous and would have no qualms starting again with a new personality the risks don’t necessarily outweigh the rewards.
Working with celebrities comes with risks and rewards, but self-made social media influencers offer an affordable route to fame for canny marketers.
Marketers have singled out measuring ROI as one of the biggest challenges they have with influencer marketing, but there are ways it can be done.
Influencers can be a fickle bunch, willing to take money and promote the goods of the highest bidder, which in time will erode consumer trust and love for your brand.
The high street saw more failures and microtargeting came in for close scrutiny, while pressure grew on agencies, influencers and makers of sugary foods.
While some brands do admit to flouting the rules, others are opting to work with micro-influencers in order to build trust and increase credibility.
While they can be difficult to spot, there are certain steps all brands using influencer marketing should be taking to help to detect fake followers.