Influencers Should Be Responsible And Ethical

Mediha Mahmood, Executive Director of the Content Forum

One mistake can undo all influencers’ good work and annihilate their reputation, effectively ending future opportunities to make a living out of their influence, Mediha Mahmood, executive director of Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (Content Forum) tells Business Today.

Her comments are in response to the disturbing rise in cases of influencers misleading their audiences over the products they promote.

“Sometimes, you see an influencer talk about a specific brand or positively review a specific product and you may wonder – was it an ad or wasn’t it? Did she genuinely use and like the products or was she just paid to pretend she did? Consumers are left in doubt.

“This is unethical behaviour. In markets all around the world, disclosure of ads is necessary and it is based on the simple principle of transparency and accountability.”

While studies show that a whopping 92% of consumers trust an influencer more than an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement, another study by Statista and Rakuten Insight found that 59% said consumers were moved to purchase a product because it was endorsed by an influencer.

“Influencers need to first understand and acknowledge the importance of their role in society. With their wide circle of influence and the engagement they sustain with their followers, influencers have social clout in their communities. They have the ability to genuinely change the perception of others and a great deal of power in shaping public opinion – including consumer behaviour,” she says.

Unethical behaviour on the part of influencers can adversely impact not only consumers but threaten the influencer industry as a whole. It has been reported that certain influencers are getting involved in outright scams, whether in the form of undisclosing paid advertisements and disguising them as personal posts, or endorsing questionable health and beauty products.

“Influencers have social clout in their communities and trust is what sustains it. When influencers hide the fact that their recommendations are actually paid advertisements, they are depriving consumers of the benefit of making an informed choice. Consumers may not be as easily convinced to make that purchase if they had known the influencer was paid to post what they posted,” she stresses.

Drawn up by the Content Forum in 2004, the Content Code is a set of guidelines outlining best practices and ethical standards for content in the digital space. It was revised in 2020 to address 4 issues: to protect privacy, streamline ratings, optimizing parental controls and regulating slimming ads, which was a source of concern at the time.

As such, Content Forum believes that self-regulation is the best way forward in cultivating a healthy online space for both content creators and consumers. Influencers can refer to a useful resource for self-regulation which is the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Code (Content Code).

The review of the Content Code is also intended to help the industry and consumers to better practice self-regulation. Everyone has been given the opportunity to contribute to the new version of the Content Code, as it will continue to be a reference for the interpretation of offences under Section 211 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. The final draft of the new Content Code will take into account the public consultation findings before it is submitted for registration by MCMC.

The key tenets of the Content Code’s guidelines for advertising are honesty and truthfulness. Aside from avoiding inaccuracy, ambiguity or exaggeration in product claims, any endorsements should be genuine and related to actual personal experience with a product or service.

In this regard, self-regulation can also help influencers avoid the inevitable backlash that occurs when irresponsible behaviour is exposed,” says Mediha. “Disclosure of paid promotions by influencers is a requirement in almost all markets around the world – it is based on the simple principle of transparency and accountability.”

Given that influencers now play a key role in marketing and outreach strategies, Mediha adds that self-regulation also protects influencers themselves from being manipulated by advertisers who use them to flout advertising rules. It also encourages brands to tap into the power of word-of-mouth marketing without eroding the trust that it is built on.

“Influencers should continue to thrive using their influence and impact on people but in doing so, they need to understand that the power they have must be responsibly channelled and not allowed to be exploited,” she says.

The Content Forum is currently conducting a nationwide public consultation exercise to gather public feedback on the proposed revisions to the Content Code. Among the revisions to be included are guidelines encouraging influencers and news providers to disclose paid promotions, as well as enhanced protection for minors from being targeted by manipulative online advertising.

Members of the public are encouraged to provide feedback on this public consultation to ensure that Content Code version 2021 takes into account consumers’ current needs and concerns. Further information on this exercise can be accessed at www.contentforum.my.

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