New influencer marketing council established

A new industry council for local influencer marketing has been created by the Audited Media Association of Australia (AMAA).

The AMAA said the aim of the Australian Influencer Marketing Council, or AIMCo, is to create a collaborative forum to develop best practice standards for companies working in the influencer marketing channel. AIMCo outlined its key principles as a commitment to transparency and accountability; adherence to best practice and disclosure standards; and promoting positive outcomes in influencer marketing.

The AMAA has been engaged in industry consultation with organisations working in influencer marketing to understand the issues and opportunities and develop an influencer marketing code of practice.

“It’s been great to see the enthusiasm and commitment the influencer marketing community has brought to this process. The move to collectively embrace industry best practice and embed this into their business model signals the maturing of influencer marketing,” said AMAA CEO, Josanne Ryan.

The code includes influencer vetting, advertising disclosure, contractual considerations such as content rights usage and metrics reporting. A guide for buyers is being created and metrics will be addressed in a detailed review in coming months the AMAA said. The final code will be released after further industry meetings in the next few weeks.

Head of content and sport for Publicis Media A/NZ, Patrick Whitnall, said clients have questioned the trust and transparency of influencers over the past year. It was important to have agencies, agents and vendors create a council to lead best practice and champion the business outcomes in this growing marketing sector.

“Our hope is AIMCo creates an agenda of guidance and confidence around advertising disclosure, content usage and metrics for social media influencers,” Whitnall said in a statement.

Co-founder and CEO, Hypetap, Detch Singh, said the influencer marketing technology platform has been advocating for a unified approach to addressing marketing concerns around the influencer segment.

“AIMCo is a positive step towards creating safer and more impactful influencer campaigns, and we’re pleased we’ve been able to play a leading role in this initiative alongside the AMAA,” he said.

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