Egomedia: the rise of influencers – 06/08/2023 – Ronaldo Lemos

The competition that traditional media and brands face is not limited to platforms alone. It also covers influencers. If before the media ecosystem was dominated by channels or brands, today we are witnessing the consolidation of “me-media” or “egomedia”, whose center is the “I”. This is a global phenomenon that is not just on the surface. It is the most recent chapter in the process of radical change in the media, with structural consequences. More people want to consume content from people and less from companies or brands.

At the end of last year, more than 75% of brands had a budget dedicated to paying influencers, according to an article in the Harvard Business Review. In addition, the phenomenon has economic ramifications, with influencers launching their own products and brands. In the US there are influencers who have launched successful brands in coffee, fashion, cosmetics, delivery and so on.

The competitive advantages of influencer marketing are enormous. For example, low cost of acquiring new customers and converting sales with loyal followers. Also, as influencers use their own content to sell, they gain in efficiency and speed. They are also cross-platform, spreading their presence across many different networks and channels.

They also have a little-discussed advantage: they are not subject to virtually any regulations, rules, or ethical norms. They can communicate aggressively (or abusively) and even sell dubious or harmful products that would not be circulated in traditional media. In other words, there is no CONAR of influencers.

Or rather, there wasn’t. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission redid the guidelines applicable to influencers in early July, making them more restrictive. England followed the same path, and created tougher rules since March. In the European Union, practically all countries are advancing in the approval of laws and codes of conduct applicable to influencers. France is the highlight.

Even in the midst of deep political polarization, the country consensually approved on June 9 a new legislation to regulate the activities of influencers (pejoratively nicknamed “infuvoleurs” in the country, a mixture of influencer and thief in French). The law is comprehensive and clear. It defines an influencer as someone who “mobilizes their notoriety in a costly way to promote goods, services or political messages”.

Prohibits the disclosure of various activities through influencer marketing. For example, cosmetic procedures including plastic surgery, counterfeit products, nicotine products, betting and gambling on platforms that can be accessed by children. In this case, platforms need to be registered and certified by the French government. The penalties for non-compliance are 2 years in prison and a fine of 300,000 euros (about R$ 1.6 million). In addition, influencers need to follow the Consumer Protection and Industrial Property Code, among other guidelines established by the law itself.

In Brazil there is no specific legislation on the subject. He was also absent from the text of the so-called Fake News Law, currently in Congress. Even so, the Brazilian judiciary is up in arms against several influencers. There are many cases with requests to suspend influencer accounts. To avoid casuistry, it would be better if the rules for decisions like these were well-established and clear, as other countries have been doing.

It’s over – Communication only in the broadcast model (“one-to-many”)

Already – The utopia of the “many-to-many” model

It’s coming – Communication in the “influencer-to-many” model

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