The European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) launched a programme in late July aimed at improving influencer marketing rules across Europe. At its centre is the new Influencer Marketing Council, a body that will bring together representatives of major agencies and work on common standards for cooperation between brands, agencies and creators.
The programme has three clearly defined parts. The first is the work of the new Council, the second is a practical guide to European regulations, while the third concerns educating creators about the proper disclosure of advertisements and paid partnerships.
The Council will be chaired by Thomas Angerer, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of BeInfluence Europe. Its members include representatives of Influential, Publicis, Samy, Dentsu, McCann, MCI Group and Innocean.
Their task will be to identify recurring problems across different European markets, propose common guidelines and conduct research into the development of influencer marketing. The recommendations they prepare will be intended for agencies, advertisers and creators.
Angerer explained that this part of the marketing industry had developed faster than the rules governing it. “Creator marketing has grown up faster than the frameworks around it, and this Council is our chance to close that gap together,” he said, adding that representatives of leading European agencies would systematically exchange experiences from different markets for the first time, instead of addressing the same issues separately in each country.
Alongside establishing the Council, EACA also published the guide Influencer Marketing Rules Across Europe – A Practitioner’s Guide for EACA Members. It brings together European Union regulations, national rules and practical recommendations for properly disclosing commercial content. The guide should make it easier for agencies and brands running campaigns across several European countries, as the rules and their application still vary from market to market.
The third part of the programme concerns creator education. EACA believes that agencies and advertisers should check whether creators are familiar with advertising rules and the obligation to publicly disclose their relationship with a brand before entering into a partnership. The need for clearer rules is also supported by data from the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA). Influencer content accounts for 22 percent of all complaints about online advertisements, while at least half of these cases concern improper partnership disclosure or questions about the legality of the advertising.
EACA represents more than 2,500 communications agencies across almost 30 European countries. Through the new programme, it is seeking to establish a common foundation for a market in which the rules have so far largely depended on national regulations and the practices of individual agencies.
