“The Ferragni case is an opportunity for growth for the influencer marketing market which needs clear rules”. This was explained by an expert in the sector, Gianluca Perrelli, CEO of Buzzoole, a company that operates in the sector and which has several creators and influencers under contract. “The episode linked to false charity must speed up the process and give rise to more transparent rules for this industry. And this also applies to brands and platforms. Furthermore, we have seen that the Authority recently intervened on the advertising of online gambling and, in 2017, on weight loss products. This is a continuously growing sector, in Italy it is already worth 1.5 billion euros, given that Millennials and Gen Z follow social channels a lot, especially Tik Tok, while they are practically indifferent to more traditional advertising stimuli”.
In your opinion, where did Ferragni go wrong?
“I don’t know the cards and therefore it is difficult to give an explanation. Of course, charity activities must be very recognizable, furthermore Ferragni is no longer just an influencer but a public figure who also expresses specific political ideas. Surely if there had been certain rules the problem would not have existed. Influencer marketing is still a young industry. Furthermore, there is another complication regarding social platforms that evolve every 18-24 months. In short, it is not a static market like the television market and therefore we need to be even more careful.”
For example?
“Tik Tok has rewritten the rules and now has an impressive growth rate. Looking ahead, the Tik Tok platform wants to be closer to Netflix, that is, to provide entertainment but with content created by the creators themselves who manage to bring together their own audience of loyal users and monetize it.”
So have influencers and creators changed too?
“Until recently they aimed to be paid by brands, now they want to become brands. That is, there are “entertainer” creators capable of deciphering the public’s tastes and creating their own brand based on this. In short, entrepreneurial initiatives are created that are born around a creator and sell products and services with the creator’s brand.”
Has anyone already started with these initiatives?
“We can perhaps already talk about “industry”. There are many cases like Amabile Juwel, a brand born from a young creator with only 800 thousand followers. And many other cases like this including Vera Lab, a brand born from the cynical beautician influencer. The phenomenon is also consolidating because influencer marketing has entered the media diet of Italians and has television numbers. Today a brand must plan this channel that involves all those who don’t watch television. According to research, 27 million Italians follow at least 1 influencer.
And how will the case end?
“Ferragni has only lost a few followers for now. There will be backlash but there is an audience that becomes attached to the characters and, in the end, forgives.”