On the 17th May, Gigapay attended the Influencer 360 event, aimed at influencer marketing & PR professionals in the UK. It took place in Brighton and we learnt how some of the biggest beauty and fashion brands work with influencers to launch new products.
There, we met with Scott Guthrie who interviewed influencers with more than 2M followers on Youtube and Instagram, and while on stage, covered some of the hottest topics in the influencer landscape, such as the current influencer #paygap issue and how to be compliant when brands and influencers advertise products, regardless if these are paid partnerships or just gifts.
We were lucky to talk to Scott after the event and we wanted to share with you some of his insights:
1. Who are you and what is the IMTB? When was it founded, by who and why? Can you also tell us about your day to day there?
I have a few roles: Podcast host of the Influencer Marketing Lab, writer of the Creator Briefing newsletter and Director General of the Influencer Marketing Trade Body.
The IMTB is the UK’s professional membership organisation dedicated to building a robust, sustainable future for the influencer marketing industry.
We are a not-for-profit organisation comprised of influencer marketing agencies and influencer marketing platforms.
Launched in October 2021 with six founding members the IMTB now has 19 member organisations. We formed with the aim to:
- Promote professionalism within our industry. Starting by demonstrating accountability for our actions via a code of conduct;
- Provide a unified, authoritative industry voice to publications, policymakers and politicians;
- Build and share best practices internally with members and externally with educators, adjacent industry bodies and regulators.
2. What were you doing before and what led you to your current position?
Before the IMTB, I provided influencer marketing agencies and influencer marketing platforms with the expertise to identify opportunities for business improvement and gaps in existing processes. Clients relied on my discreet services for insight, advice and planning.
In 2020 I was approached by a handful of progressive platforms and agencies and asked to found an institution. There was a sense at the time that their voice wasn’t being heard by regulators, parliamentarians or by news outlets. That institution became the IMTB. The firms that approached me became the body’s founders.
3. Your members join– among other things, to raise their voices and have an impact in the advertising industry in the UK, but can you give us an example of how the IMTB has helped a specific member solve a problem in the past?
Earlier this year the IMTB was appointed to the Committee of Advertising Practice. CAP is the sister organisation of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) - the UK’s independent advertising regulator that administers the CAP Code to keep ads legal, decent, honest and truthful.
We’re the first new members in over a decade and the only body dedicated to representing the influencer marketing sector. Obviously, this is great news for the IMTB and its members. But it’s good news for the entire industry. This is the first time that regulators have welcomed influencer marketing to sit at ‘the top table’ and help shape future advertising rules and regulations.
In terms of specific help to members, IMTB members enjoy compliance peace-of-mind through free access to REASSURE our one-to-one consultation service with leading legal and regulatory compliance consultancy, Hashtag Ad Consulting. Discrete advice provided has covered areas including
- Substantiation for environmental claims on Instagram
- Commercial music use on YouTube
- Exploring the boundaries of taste and decency on TikTok, and gambling
- Unlicensed medicinal products.
4. Who are the most active members of the IMTB? How do they get involved and help you in your business goals?
Our founding members also sit on our board. They approve the strategic plan for the year and measure results regularly against that plan. They also provide a sense-check to formal responses provided by the IMTB to Parliament or to regulators.
5. You and I met at the Influencer360 event in Brighton, where you were on stage a great part of the day. What was your biggest learning that day after interviewing and talking to so many influencers and marketers?
Great question! My main takeaway is that our industry is moving at speed and becoming evermore sophisticated and nuanced.
My favourite session might have been the panel discussion on diversity. The panellists were so passionate and knowledgeable about the subject and willing to share their lived experiences.
The session was also a reminder that the entire agenda for the conference could have been devoted to the subject of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our session came from the position of black, female creators. We could also have talked about disabled creators, for instance. The fabulous Lucy Edwards was at the event participating in the What They Said roundtable lunch. Lucy is a blind broadcaster and content creator who came on my podcast last year to talk on the subject. Equally, we could have discussed transgender creators, creators from underprivileged backgrounds or the unconscious bias inherent in some underrepresented marketing teams.
6. During the event we talked a lot about the #paygap issue, raised by @dymund. What is IMTB's take on this? It is very hard to justify the same amount to 2 influencers who appear to be the same when there are so many variables taken into account in a campaign.
The IMTB has worked very closely with ISBA to develop its influencer marketing code of conduct. The code includes explicit mention of pay parity: “Brands recommit to the principle of equal pay for equal work – and to be allies in addressing the unacceptable pay gaps in influencer marketing”.
7. As head of community, I've spoken to hundreds of creators to find out what is their biggest challenge working with brands, and a huge number of them said "getting paid on time". Some even complained that it takes them more than 90 days for brands to pay their invoices. What is IMTB's take on this and what can brands or platforms do in order to help creators get paid faster? Has anyone tried to talk you through this from the agencies or brands? Is anyone trying to change this in the UK?
At the heart of influencer marketing lies human relationships. Brands and agencies are never going to be able to create tight bonds with creators if they underpay or pay late. Our members are progressive influencer firms. They lead in this field. Our own code of conduct binds all members to be responsible, accountable and competent.
8. Partnerships are key to any brand, agency, association in general, how has the IMTB worked with partners to grow and can you give us any examples?
ISBA has been a great supporter and ally to the IMTB since its incorporation. Hopefully, we have repaid some of their generosity of spirit in our work together on the code. We are also close to announcing a strategic partnership with a similar body in another jurisdiction.
8. What is your biggest challenge as DG in the IMTB and how can people reading this blog post help you solve the issues you encounter?
We’re a small not-for-profit organisation. The biggest challenge is prioritising what we focus on to make the greatest and most positive impact for our members and for the wider community.
9. Anything you'd like us to cover before we finish?
We’ve covered a lot of terrain in this interview. Thank you for the opportunity.
