The Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB) has revealed a new partnership with RippleXn, an AI platform, to promote brand safety and elevate the standards of influencer marketing.
This collaboration comes at a crucial time as the IMTB prepares for the Online Safety Bill legislation, recognising the need for greater oversight and safety when marketing to younger audiences.
The IMTB now represents influencer marketing on the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) as a member to encourage lawful influencer marketing. CAP is responsible for writing and updating the rules on advertising in the UK via the CAP (Non-broadcast Advertising) Code.
The IMTB’s new partner, RippleXn, employs natural language processing (NLP) technologies to process social video content. The platform augments traditional data analysis tools, enabling marketing teams to focus on more effective campaigns by effortlessly reviewing contractual obligations and disclosure requirements such as #Ad declarations.
This automation aims to free up valuable time and resources in order to empower brands to harness the potential of thousands of hours of content produced during product launches and manage an increasing number of affiliate partners.
What does this partnership mean for influencer marketing?
This partnership allows IMTB members to gain early access to new brand safety features, while special packages specifically designed to address immediate resource and regulatory challenges will be offered.
By harnessing RippleXn's technology, marketers will be able to gain valuable insights into their video-based influencer marketing campaigns, ensuring greater brand safety and compliance.
Scott Guthrie, Director General of IMTB, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "RippleXn's technology aligns perfectly with IMTB's membership and ethos by providing a market-led solution to many of the growth challenges we face as an industry, particularly around the anticipated Online Safety Bill's forthcoming regulatory changes and the need for greater oversight safety when marketing to younger audiences."
“Brands can use RippleXn to receive proof (in real-time) that a creator has undertaken the specified work and check sponsorship requirements were met.”
He continues, “For example: What did the creator say?; How many times did they say it?; Did they mention the competitor's name?; Is the content ASA/CMA compliant?”
Adrian Land, Co-Founder and COO of RippleXn, explained, "There are a million-and-one tools that can tell you how many views your social video campaign got, but until now, if you wanted to know what's said in a video, your team had to physically watch every livestream, VOD, or short-form video."
The platform offers marketers a comprehensive understanding of their video content and enhances their ability to safeguard brand reputation. “RippleXn’s tech processes video content; the story, what’s said, and how it’s said,” says Land.
“The industry is growing so fast, we have to innovate with technologies to maintain that growth. In a couple of years, it will be unthinkable that we were limiting the number of creators we could work with simply because we weren’t able to review what they were saying for us quickly enough.”
James Beaven, CEO and Co-Founder of RippleXn, emphasised the significance of partnering with IMTB, stating, "Partnering with the IMTB signifies our resounding support for their goals and commitment to a professional code of conduct. We believe the IMTB will be foundational for growth not only within Influencer Marketing but the Creator Economy as a whole.
Some of the stats:
RippleXn's proprietary NLP tools meticulously analyze video content uploaded to Video Sharing Platforms (VSPs) every minute.
By identifying brand, product, and service mentions, analysing sentiment, and auditing FTC and ASA ad compliance, RippleXn aims to ensure the safety of brands, creator partners, and audiences alike.
Here are some statistics from RippleXn’s research:
- There are 2000 hours of new video content uploaded every minute to social video platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Insta, and TikTok.
- Existing Mar-tech tools measure view counts, but RippleXn says there’s a blindspot for marketers around the content; what’s said and how in the video.
- RippleXn say they have taught an AI to speak influencer, which is currently 52x faster than a human at watching social video content to correctly identify brand, product, and service mentions.
With the IMTB and RippleXn joining forces, the influencer marketing industry could witness the beginning of a gradual paradigm shift towards enhanced brand safety and greater compliance. As regulatory frameworks evolve, this partnership sets a new standard for accountability and governance, ensuring the long-term success and trustworthiness of influencer marketing campaigns, all of which we discussed in our webinar: Should You Invest in AI This Year?
