The Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB) has been appointed as a member of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP).
Through its member status, IMTB will provide direct representation of the influencer marketing sector to the committee.
CAP, the sister organisation of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), creates and provides the advertising industry with guidance on complying with the CAP Code, a code of practices that keep advertisements legal, decent, honest, and truthful.
Complaints about influencer posts constitute nearly a quarter of all online cases brought to the ASA each year, with many influencers accused of advertising products without denoting somewhere in their post that it is in fact an advertisement.
CAP has previously published guidance for influencers on how to avoid malpractice and ensure they are sticking to the ad rules and the relevant provisions from consumer protection legislation.
“Influencers increasingly represent a significant part of the advertising ecosystem and ensuring they understand how and when the ad rules apply to them is a focus of the ASA’s work,” said Shahriar Coupal, director of CAP. “We are therefore delighted to appointed IMTB as a member of CAP.”
“CAP is committed to encouraging and securing responsible influencer marketing which is increasingly aligned with the regulatory system,” Coupal added.
In joining, IMTB becomes the first new CAP member in over a decade.
“Joining CAP is a significant milestone both for the IMTB and for influencer marketing as a whole,” said Scott Guthrie, director general of the IMTB. “Better regulation and enforcement of that regulation leads to better trust, relevance, responsibility, and effectiveness, for IMTB members and the industry as a whole.”
