Canadian Influencer Marketing: here are the rules to follow on Instagram.

Influencer marketing has seen a massive growth over the past couple of years, due in large part to its authenticity. But when brands come to play, where do we draw the line between sponsored content & genuine influencer endorsement? Here are the governing rules for Influencer marketing in Canada.

It's only been since late 2016 that Canada has implemented new reglementation on the issue, through the Canadian Code of Advertising Standard's interpretation rule #5 on testimonials, endorsements & reviews.

• Update: June 14th 2017

Instagram is developing features in this direction

Instagram is working to implement features that will allow you to better identify the sponsored posts. This new feature that was revealed today will standardize the way in which ads are presented and will forever make it more clear for consumers to identify.

**This new feature accomplishes 2 things: **

• It entails that the publication mentions that it's a "Paid partnership with" on the top of the publication (where the location is normally mentioned).
• The tag also implicates that the advertiser will automatically have access to the same statistics as the influencer when it comes to the reach and engagement of the post.

« People are building amazing businesses on Instagram all over the world, at all sorts of scale, and those users are looking for ways to be super transparent with their followers when they have a partnership.

• Charles Porch, Instagram’s Creative Programs Director

Here's how a brand should respect these rules.

The base premise of the reglementation is to ensure that the brand & influencer relation is clear to the audience. Any contractual relation between the 2 parties must be outrightly expressed.

Let's say, for example, an influencer receives a product or invitation from a brand, with the clear and expressed expectation to post something on its social media platforms, then he or she must clearly state that they were paid to post. On the other hand, if the brand sends the same product or invitation without the exigence of a post, then the influencer has the right to post or not and the reglementation will not apply.

One of the right ways to comply is for the influencer to add an #Ad or #Sponsored hashtag to its post, without drawning it in multiples hashtags. Remember, the audience must see it right away! The best way to comply still remains to clearly thank the brand in the post while still adding the same hashtag.

GOOD EXAMPLES

BAD EXAMPLES

The question you should ask yourself:

« Does the contractual agreement between the brand & influencer clearly requires a post in exchange for products, invitations or money?

If the answer is yes, then the influencer must clearly indicate that the post is sponsored or else the brand runs a risk.

If the answer is no, then the post can be qualified as authentic and there is no such obligation.

Teaming up with the right influencers

Influencer marketing works because it allows a brand to reach an audience through someone that the audience already trusts. It is not the brand that speaks, it's a person! Identifying the right influencers, who share your brand values and vision, is key. Contact us to figure out how we can help you to identify the right influencers.

Any serious influencer will only choose to work with brands that he or she likes and that fit with their editorial line, knowing a false move can ruin his or her credibitily to its fans.

In recap, transparency is always key when a brand and influencer team up together because the last thing any of the two want, is to lose its hard earned trust to its audience.