A new report has revealed that consumers prefer to keep their distance from influencers who aren’t honest with their content.
This report has been released by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
ASCI Report Determines Why Consumers Trust Influencers on Social Media
According to the survey conducted by ASCI among 820 respondents, honesty and transparency stood out as the main reasons why consumers trust influencers on social media, followed by relatable content and personal stories.
As per reports, Instagram had a 58 percent violation rate, YouTube had a 33 percent violation rate, Twitter had a 7 percent violation rate, and Facebook had a 2 percent violation rate.
According to the survey, which examined consumer trust in social media influencers, 43 percent of consumers avoided influencers when they perceived a lack of transparency, 42 percent did not trust influencers if their content was repetitive, and 41 percent said excessive promotion made them untrustworthy.
Overall, the ASCI report found that successful partnerships benefited both brands and influencers.
As per the report, “Around 64 percent of consumers felt the brand became more trustworthy when influencers endorsed it, while 58 percent of those surveyed thought that the influencers became more trustworthy when they endorsed the brand.”
90% of Respondents Making Purchases Based on Influencers’ Recommendation
According to other report findings, 90% of respondents made at least one purchase as a result of an influencer’s recommendation, and 61% said they had made three or more. The report stated that “this behaviour was particularly prevalent among consumers between the ages of 25 and 44.”
It was also mentioned that newer brands, in addition to well-known ones, benefited greatly from consumers learning about their goods from influencer-sponsored content.
The survey’s finding that lack of transparency was one of the main reasons influencers lost the trust of their followers is significant. On the other hand, Manisha Kapoor, CEO & Secretary General of ASCI, noted that openness in their communication had a significant positive impact on trust.
The Central Consumer Protection Authorities now require disclosure of any material connections between brands and influencers, she added, even though ASCI released its guidelines in May 2021. Non-disclosures are therefore potentially illegal.
Since May 2021, when ASCI introduced its influencer guidelines, 2,767 cases involving brands and influencers who failed to disclose material connections have been processed.
