Influencers have become an indispensable figure for brands, especially in the cosmetics sector. Companies are increasingly allocating a more considerable portion of their budget to them for the following year to collaborate on products that they themselves present to their community with the aim of reaching that audience, which is known as influencer marketing.
With the aim of guaranteeing a framework of honest and responsible communication between the audience and the content creator or influencer, AUTOCONTROL demands and requires transparency through its Code of Conduct.
What is the Code of Conduct?
It is an initiative promoted by Autocontrol and the Spanish Association of Advertisers (AEA), with the aim that all collaborations are marked as advertising. With this, Autocontrol seeks to ensure that the audience does not feel deceived and that their content creator is trying to sell them a product or service without their knowledge. Something that can happen very easily in our sector, where an influencer's recommendation can be seen as a very, very important driver in purchasing, because it is almost considered the opinion of a family member or friend.
Nearly 1,000 companies and entities have joined the Code of Conduct.
Where is the line that separates personal opinion and advertisement?
If there is any type of consideration, the content must be marked and identified as advertising. And consideration is not solely money: it can be in products or services. In that case, it must also be identified.
Editorial content is a genuine opinion that an influencer may have because they have tried a product on their own initiative and liked it, but they receive nothing from the brand.
This identification must be explicit, clear, and perfectly visible to whoever is viewing that content. The word "publicidad", "publi", or "patrocinado por" must appear; expressions like "ad", "legal", or "colab" are not permitted because they can cause ambiguity and must be the same for everyone. It must also be visible on the screen and must be maintained, not removed over time, and kept visible if the content is to be shared. The identification must be written and/or verbal and include a verbal mention in a video.
How beauty brands should act
First, the code must be complied with and integrated into all brand practices. Second, influencers must be trained and taught about these practices and required to comply with them. The third step is to **accept the decisions of the Advertising Jury and finally comply with the entire general framework of the regulations.**
This becomes a new opportunity for the brand to position itself as an honest and sincere brand, with values, within the sector, but for that, it is also necessary to choose collaborators who align with what the brand defines as its purposes. Because complying with the code is not just an obligation, but rather becomes an opportunity for the brand.