ASCI releases report on social media influencers

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has rolled out an ‘Influencer Trust Report’ to highlight how consumers trust influencer marketing, the factors that build trust and what depletes it. 

The focus group for this report were around 820 respondents above the age of 18 belonging to tier 1 and 2 cities, Out of the focus group, 472 were male, and 348 were female respondents. 

The respondents selected for the study claimed to have spent at least two hours on social media, daily. 

It aims to showcase how brands can leverage the influencer marketing ecosystem and garner higher brand recall. 

According to the report, 79% of respondents trust social media influencers. 90% of the respondents revealed they made at least one purchase based on influencer endorsement. 61% claimed to have made three or more purchases after watching influencer promotions. This consumer behaviour was particularly prevalent among consumers ranging from 25 to 44 years of age. 

63% of respondents pointed out that transparency and honesty are key factors why consumers trust influencers on social media.

43% revealed that consumers stayed away from influencers when they sensed a lack of transparency. 41% of respondents stay away from influencer marketing content when there are signs of excessive promotion

Overall, the report stated that both brands and influencers gained from meaningful partnerships. Around 64% of consumers felt the brand became more trustworthy when influencers endorsed it, while 58% of those surveyed thought that the influencers became more trustworthy when they endorsed the brand. 

To ensure the influencer marketing space has authentic brand hygiene, ASCI rolled out its influencer guidelines in May 2021. Since then it has processed 2,767 cases against brands and influencers for not declaring material connections. This gives brands a credibility when they are approaching infleuncers for endorsement deals. 

Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary general, ASCI, said, “While ASCI released its guidelines in May 2021, the Central Consumer Protection Authorities also now requires disclosure of material connection between brands and influencers. Hence, non-disclosures are potential violations of the law. An important aspect of the dipstick is the revelation that non-transparency was among the prime reasons why influencers lost the trust of their followers. On the other hand, transparency in their communication significantly built trust. We will be having several important conversations on this and other interesting aspects of brand-influencer partnerships at the #GetItRight Brand Influencer Summit 2023 with brand leaders and top influencers. The summit will help both brands and influencers understand how to build robust and sustainable relationships in the social media space.”