Diana Marszalek 18 Jun 2018 // 8:47PM GMT
CANNES — Unilever CMO Keith Weed is calling for greater transparency around influencer marketing as a means of combating fraud, while improving consumer experiences and brands’ ability to accurately measure impact.
“We need to address this through responsible content, responsible platforms and responsible infrastructure,” Weed said. To increase consumer trust, brands need to avoid the problems like hiring influencers with fake followers.
“At Unilever, we believe influencers are an important way to reach consumers and grow our brands. Their power comes from a deep, authentic and direct connection with people, but certain practices like buying followers can easily undermine these relationships,” he said.
From the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, the company announced three of the commitments it is making to boost consumer trust in digital media. Unilever vowed to: not work with influencers who buy followers; not buy followers for the company’s brands; and prioritize partners who increase transparency and help eradicate bad practices throughout the whole ecosystem.
The pledges build on Unilever’s larger push for digital accountability. In February, the company pledged not to work with platforms that incite hate, spread division or fail to protect children.
While in Cannes, Weed will meet with a group including the World Federation of Advertisers, Instagram and Richard Edelman to partner in leading the industry to bring increased trust, transparency and integrity in the influencer space. Earlier Monday, Edelman also addressed a lack of consumer trust in the digital platforms with the release of its Trust Barometer report on social media.