The games of #sponsored: May the most authentic influencer win

Have you ever poured your marketing budget into a dream influencer campaign, only to discover your brand message is echoing in a vast, empty room of fake followers? Welcome to the Wild West of influencer marketing, where inflated numbers and ghost town engagement can leave brands high and dry.

If that wasn’t all, brands also have to worry about influencers who fail to disclose sponsored content. It is crucial for brands to monitor influencer content to prevent any violations, protect their brand reputation, and maintain compliance with advertising standards and regulations.

By performing periodic audits, brands can ensure that influencers adhere to guidelines, comply with regulations, and uphold brand values, thereby mitigating risks and enhancing the overall success of influencer marketing initiatives. Non-compliance by influencers with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) guidelines can result in legal consequences and harm brand reputation.

But, before diving headfirst into influencer campaigns, brands need to crack the code on their audience. Are they real people, or just a mirage of likes?

Unmask fake followers: Why influencer audience verification matters

Amit Relan, Director and Co-Founder, mFilterIt, says influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy for brands to expand their reach and engage with target audiences on social media platforms. Collaborating with influencers enables brands to enhance their online presence, promote products and services, and drive sales through social commerce. With social media platforms like Instagram playing a significant role in brand publicity, influencer marketing has become a key component of digital advertising strategies.

“The global influencer marketing market is projected to reach $21.1 billion by 2023, highlighting the growing importance of influencers in reaching Gen Z and millennial audiences. However, the challenge lies in ensuring that influencers reach genuine audiences rather than bots, emphasising the need for brands to validate the authenticity of influencer reach to maximize the impact of their marketing campaigns,” he adds.

Beyond the surface: Metrics that ensure quality influencer partnerships

Varun Grover, Brand Safety BU Head, mFilterIt, says that influencer monitoring encompasses various aspects such as pre-flight validations, post-flight validations, ASCI compliance, and content analysis to ensure the effectiveness and authenticity of influencer collaborations.

Before launching digital campaigns, brands can use monitoring tools to categorise influencers based on follower authenticity, distinguishing between genuine users and bots. Post-campaign evaluations allow brands to assess influencer performance on engagement metrics, audience reach, and content quality. Monitoring for ASCI compliance ensures that influencers disclose paid collaborations as advertisements, mitigating legal risks and maintaining transparency. By analysing influencer content and engagement data, brands can make informed decisions on collaboration strategies, optimise marketing campaigns, and safeguard brand reputation in the competitive arena of influencer marketing.

Brand association with macro and nano influencers

According to Grover, monitoring brand association with multiple macro and nano influencers is essential to protect brand reputation, ensure compliance with guidelines, and maintain consistency in messaging across partnerships. By overseeing collaborations with various influencers, brands can mitigate risks associated with non-compliance, uphold brand values, and safeguard the integrity of marketing campaigns.

He highlights that monitoring multiple influencers allows brands to track content for adherence to ASCI guidelines, prevent legal implications, and uphold ethical standards in influencer marketing. Additionally, monitoring ensures that influencers align with brand policies, terms of use, and guidelines, thereby optimising brand reputation and enhancing the effectiveness of influencer marketing initiatives. Regular monitoring of influencer activities across different partnerships enables brands to identify potential issues, maintain brand consistency, and build trust with their target audience.

AI & Machine Learning: Spotting fake fans faster than you can say 'unsubscribe'

Relan points out that technologies play a pivotal role in influencer monitoring by providing advanced capabilities for analysing influencer activities and audience authenticity. These technologies enable brands to conduct comprehensive bot traffic analysis, validate the genuineness of influencer reach, and identify potential violations of ASCI guidelines.

“By leveraging AI/ML algorithms, brands can detect patterns of bot activity, assess the credibility of influencer followers, and make data-driven decisions to optimise influencer marketing strategies. AI/ML algorithms analyse large datasets to distinguish between genuine and fake followers, ensuring that influencer collaborations reach real individuals and deliver the desired impact. OSINT technology enhances influencer monitoring by collecting and analysing publicly available data to verify influencer authenticity and compliance with brand guidelines, ultimately optimising the performance of influencer marketing campaigns,” he says.