The Influencer Marketing Trade Body will professionalise influencer marketing
Officially launched at the Influencer Marketing Show London last week, the Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB) has been developed by a team of industry experts to futureproof the influencer marketing industry, ensuring it continues to grow sustainably and professionally.
Talking Influence advisory board member, Scott Guthrie, and #IMSLDN21 sponsors, Whalar, are among the founding members and board of management of the IMTB, other founding members include TAKUMI and Ogilvy. Influencer marketing agencies and influencer marketing platforms are able to sign up to become IMTB members. So far, the trade body has been involved in reviewing the process for ISBA’s Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct, as well as being involved in the DCMS Committee Inquiry into Influencer Culture.
In the future, we can expect the IMTB to expand as they focus on their key initiatives including:
- Speaking with similar bodies in other jurisdictions about how to share locally and globally relevant industry information.
- Looking to forge closer ties with regulators.
- Drafting a whitepaper around diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Continuing to work with the Parliamentary Inquiry into Influencer Culture.
Instagram for kids faces a delay
The introduction of an Instagram app designed specifically for kids remains taboo. The Facebook-owned photo-sharing app is greatly successful worldwide, and worth billions of dollars, however, many believe that children below the age of 13, currently the minimum age to create an Instagram account, should not be a target for Instagram’s next stage of growth.
Facebook announced that it is pausing the development of an Instagram app aimed at children aged between ten and twelve, however, they confirm that this is just a pause and that it believes ‘building “Instagram Kids” is the right thing to do’.
This has been reported as a rare development reversal for Facebook, but according to Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, the halt in development has happened in order to make the children’s app more acceptable to parents and policymakers, and to ‘demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today’.
TikTok has lined up its own NFT drop
Whether you understand NFTs or not, they are everywhere, and front of mind for many in the digital age. For those who aren’t familiar, TikTok’s own explanation of NFTs is as follows: NFTs
“Non-Fungible Tokens are unique digital assets that are secured and contained on the blockchain. The blockchain verifies ownership, provenance, and transaction history. An NFTs originality can be verified because NFT data is stored on a blockchain, a public digital ledger such as Ethereum. The NFT data on the blockchain cannot be forged, which makes it easy for interested buyers to check the authenticity and transaction history of any particular NFT.”
Of course, it would be only natural for the world’s most popular app to get involved – which is why TikTok has teamed up with popular creators including Lil Nas X, Grimes, and Bella Poarch to release one-of-one and limited edition NFTs. If this sounds confusing, don’t fret, and this launch is focused on generating buzz among the existing NFT community rather than exposing users inside the app to non-fungible tokens.
TikTok already has a creator fund and is home to a plethora of sponsored branded content, and this news launch is another way to empower the creative and innovative TikTok community.
TikTok says: “NFTs are a new way for creators to be recognised and rewarded for their content and for fans to own culturally significant moments on TikTok.”
You can finally record Clubhouse conversations
Clubhouse, the live social audio platform, has faced peaks and troughs in its success since its launch in 2020. One of its drawbacks was that once a conversation had finished in a Clubhouse room, users were unable to listen back, however, this is now possible with the Clubhouse ‘replays’ feature that launched this month.
Creators and moderators are able to record, and they can toggle that option on or off. Rooms must also be public to be recorded. These users are able to record a room, save it to their profile and club, or download it.
Users will be able to choose to record full conversations, but there will also be an option to create 30-second shareable clips in rooms that allow it. This is a great way for Clubhouse creators to market themselves on other social media platforms, attracting more people to engage in their content.
TikTok Announced as 2021 Fashion Awards Principal Partner
The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced that TikTok will be the principal partner of the 2021 Fashion Awards. TikTok’s youthful appeal will bring new innovations to the awards, celebrating emerging designers, and fashions position in the digital world. Audiences will also be able to stream the awards virtually, furthering the expansion of the event’s digital connectivity.
Caroline Rush, BFC’s Chief Executive says: “We are thrilled to welcome TikTok as the principal partner of The Fashion Awards 2021. Understanding the changing nature of fashion and leading the way in technology and innovation has always been at the heart of what the British Fashion Council does.”
The ceremony will raise funds for the BFC Foundation, developed to support the growth and success of the British fashion industry.
Tyson Fury launches new creators app
Launching just before his much-anticipated fight with Deontay Wilder on 9th October, was Tyson Fury’s app ‘MY AAA’. The subscription-only app is a members only safe space with no explicit content and no trolling that allows audiences to create genuine connections with content creators.
Stating that mental health is extremely important to him, Fury wanted to launch this app to create a more positive social media space. Following a subscription to platforms such as OnlyFans and Patreon, users pay a monthly fee which allows them to access unbridled behind-the-scenes content from their favourite musicians, podcasters, sports stars, celebrities, artists, actors, and many more figures from the fitness, fashion, and beauty industries.
MY AAA is not open to everyone. Content creators are carefully selected and invited to use the platform by the AAA team. Creators on the app can access features such as chargeable messaging, subscriber insight and metrics, and live support from dedicated account managers. The desire for subscription-based, exclusive content, is something that we continue to explore on Talking Influence.
Instagram introduces branded content partnerships
Throughout the coming months, Instagram will begin testing new branded partnership features within the app. Instagram continues to commit to helping creators earn a living off of the content they create, which is why a small group of creators and brands have been selected to test new partnership tools that will allow for more seamless brand collaborations.
The new features will help creators partner up with brands by introducing discovery features based on profile visibility tips and tricks. When brands discover creators that they would like to work with, they will be able to look at creators’ audience details, and also have the ability to send direct messages that won’t end up in the creator’s requests folder.
Creators have commented on how they have previously missed out on branded content opportunities due to missing messages that have gone into their request folders and not being visible to brands that fit their demographic. The new tools put in place by Instagram will be able to help immensely, allowing more people to generate income from content creation.
TikTok and the ASA remind creators of advertising rules
Despite advertising rules and guidelines being clear for content creators to follow, we are still seeing far too many examples of rule breakages. TikTok, arguably the most powerful social media platform at the moment, is now working with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to reiterate the importance of following these guidelines.
Nine TikTok creators have been selected for the video campaign in which they will produce videos for the ASA’s TikTok page. Each video will focus on a different area of concern, and common areas of malpractice, such as misleading content, recognition, body image, harmful or dangerous behavior, promotions, price, remit, food, and prescription medicines.
The ASA stated: “We’ve been regulating social media ads for years and, as the world is increasingly online, it’s vital that creators and advertisers are carefully following our rules so that people are protected. We know from the complaints we receive how concerned people are with making sure the ads they see in social media are labeled clearly and upfront, and that they are truthful.”
With any luck, as TikTok is a platform with extremely high engagement rates, these videos will be pushed to the top of the funnel and creators will be reminded of the importance of following the ASA guidelines.
If you want to share your company’s latest movers and shakers, fresh acquisitions, or news on progression within the industry, please submit this via our Typeform.
