The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) and the Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB) have announced a fresh set of signatories to their Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct, with both “progressive influencer firms” and “household name” brands joining the initiative.
These new signatories include Billion Dollar Boy, Influencer, bet365, Kolsquare, Hypetap, PrimeTag, bet365, Domino’s, and Connect Management, to name a few.
The Code, first launched in 2021, received its fourth update in November 2024, with the new signatories coming onboard six months after this latest iteration.
The updated Code promotes collaboration across the advertising chain while focusing on three core pillars: consumer transparency, brand effectiveness, and influencer wellbeing. It also covers responsible marketing practices, including inclusion, accessibility, environmental sustainability, and ethical standards for virtual influencers and AI.
Government Support and Harm Prevention
Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister for the Creative Industries, endorses the progress, stating it “goes to the core of the mission of the Government’s Online Advertising Taskforce of improving trust in adverts.” The Code aligns with the Taskforce’s focus on preventing harms from online advertising content or placement.
Key prevention measures include:
A general harm prevention duty for brands, agencies, and talent
Brand commitment to influencer due diligence
Prevention of age-inappropriate content reaching unintended viewers
Zero tolerance for unacceptable conduct, including hate speech
Prohibiting misleading photo filters by influencers
Industry Leadership
Rob Newman, ISBA’s Director of Public Affairs, describes the Code as “born out of advertisers’ desire to raise standards” for both content creators and consumers. Newman chairs the Influencer Marketing Working Group of the Online Advertising Taskforce.
Scott Guthrie, Director-General of the IMTB, calls responsible influencer marketing “a lever for economic growth” and positions the Code as “a checklist of best practices” for the industry.
Future efforts will focus on encouraging individual influencers to sign up and adhere to regulations from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The announcement comes days after the ASA released a report revealing that fewer than three in five influencer advertisements on Instagram and TikTok in the UK are adequately disclosed to consumers.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) and the Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB) have announced a fresh set of signatories to their Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct, with both “progressive influencer firms” and “household name” brands joining the initiative.
These new signatories include Billion Dollar Boy, Influencer, bet365, Kolsquare, Hypetap, PrimeTag, bet365, Domino’s, and Connect Management, to name a few.
The Code, first launched in 2021, received its fourth update in November 2024, with the new signatories coming onboard six months after this latest iteration.
The updated Code promotes collaboration across the advertising chain while focusing on three core pillars: consumer transparency, brand effectiveness, and influencer wellbeing. It also covers responsible marketing practices, including inclusion, accessibility, environmental sustainability, and ethical standards for virtual influencers and AI.
Government Support and Harm Prevention
Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister for the Creative Industries, endorses the progress, stating it “goes to the core of the mission of the Government’s Online Advertising Taskforce of improving trust in adverts.” The Code aligns with the Taskforce’s focus on preventing harms from online advertising content or placement.
Key prevention measures include:
Industry Leadership
Rob Newman, ISBA’s Director of Public Affairs, describes the Code as “born out of advertisers’ desire to raise standards” for both content creators and consumers. Newman chairs the Influencer Marketing Working Group of the Online Advertising Taskforce.
Scott Guthrie, Director-General of the IMTB, calls responsible influencer marketing “a lever for economic growth” and positions the Code as “a checklist of best practices” for the industry.
Future efforts will focus on encouraging individual influencers to sign up and adhere to regulations from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The announcement comes days after the ASA released a report revealing that fewer than three in five influencer advertisements on Instagram and TikTok in the UK are adequately disclosed to consumers.