Influencer agency Billion Dollar Boy and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have launched what it said is the first global influencer network in a bid to reach young people with accurate and vital information about COVID-19.
The 30-plus influencers who have signed up so far have a joint reach of nearly two million followers across four countries, said IFRC. Influencers include
Italy’s Antonio Nunziata, the UK-based Katie Woods, and UAE’s Neda Ghenai.“Social media should be a very effective tool for reaching a global populace. But with misinformation and fake news so prevalent, that message has to be unified and delivered from trusted sources. Our IFRC network of influencers ticks both these boxes. Instead of being continually vilified, influencers can now put their vast skill-sets to work delivering potentially lifesaving approved messaging to millions of people when it is needed the most,” said Edward East, CEO and founder at Billion Dollar Boy.Every week the IFRC will send the network an approved message that they want to distribute. The influencer will then take the messaging and create their own content, which will be vetted by Billion Dollar Boy and approved by IFRC.
“Getting the right information out there when an emergency strikes is as important as healthcare. Making sure people have access to facts and trusted sources in a situation like this saves lives,” commented Nichola Jones, IFRC’s media manager.Content creators have a crucial role to play in tackling the infodemic and have access to young people that many public authorities and charities don’t have, said IFRC. “By working together, we can make sure credible content reaches a broader audience and has a positive impact,” continued Jones.Creators looking to get involved can sign up here.