The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has welcomed an announcement by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) on the need for clear labelling of paid advertisements.
ASA figures reveal complaints about content on social networking sites in 2016 had risen to 1,824, up 193% from 622 in 2012.
More than half (52%) of public relations professionals now spend most or some of their time working on influencer relations, according to the CIPR’s State of the Profession research.
How do PR professionals spend their time? How have trends evolved over the past year? More on p.26 #StateofPR '17 https://t.co/qRFfM2cHJP pic.twitter.com/XzyIfW4ABD
— CIPR (@CIPR_UK) March 1, 2017
CIPR President, Jason MacKenzie Found. Chart.PR, FCIPR says: “The growth of influencers on social media offers PR professionals new opportunities. But those opportunities come with responsibilities. The public have a right to know the difference between authentic endorsements and paid-for content.
Working on behalf of an employer or clients to generate content from influencers who don’t reveal when they are being paid to promote a product, service or brand is against the CIPR Code of Conduct. Ethical conduct has never been more critical to PR and I’d urge anyone unsure of the rules to seek support from the CIPR, ASA or Competition and Markets Authority.”
