For years, the question of whether the people posting sponsored content on social media actually understand the rules governing sponsored content has been answered mostly with a collective shrug from the industry. Now, a British trade group is betting that a 90-minute course and a certificate might help.
IAB UK, the trade association for digital advertising in Britain, is introducing what it calls the first industry-backed qualification for content creators, a program designed to teach influencers how to properly disclose advertising relationships and navigate the regulatory landscape that many of them have been cheerfully ignoring.
The qualification, which has been endorsed by ISBA and the Advertising Association, covers territory that might seem elementary to anyone who has worked on the agency side of the business: advertising regulation, disclosure requirements, platform policies, contracts and — in a nod to the precarious nature of the creator economy — long-term career development.
Riyadh Khalaf, a broadcaster and creator, is hosting the program. (One imagines the production values exceed those of the average corporate compliance video, though perhaps not by much.)
The timing is not coincidental. Research from IAB UK shows that 84 percent of brands and agencies expect to increase their spending on creator partnerships next year, which means more money flowing to more people who may or may not understand that posting an advertisement requires saying it is an advertisement. A separate study from the Advertising Standards Authority found that 80 percent of consumers prefer influencers to be clear about when they are being paid.
"Groundbreaking" was the word Connie Hawker, who leads creator initiatives at IAB UK, used to describe the program, though it might be more accurate to call it a sensible precaution arriving somewhat late to the party.
Similar certification programs have already appeared in France and across Latin America. The United States introduced its own version in January.
Whether creators will actually pursue the qualification remains to be seen. As Will Francis, a creator who directs influencer marketing courses for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, observed, influencers have "far too many spinning plates" to worry about verification unless forced to do so.
The plates, it seems, may soon include a certificate suitable for framing.
Original story published in Marketing Week: "IAB UK launches creator qualification"