LONDON, March 29, 2023—Open Influence became the newest member of the Influencer Marketing Trade Body, a U.K.-based professional membership organisation that was formed in October 2021 with the goal of fostering a robust, sustainable future for the influencer marketing industry.
The IMTB is led by four core values: unity, accountability, pioneering, and sharing. IMTB strives to promote industry collaboration among its members by presenting a unified, authoritative voice and becoming a trusted source of research, guidance, and education, celebrating professionalism and guiding businesses toward better business decisions.
The organisation was formed at the Influencer Marketing Show in London, becoming the event’s media partner the following year, and its six founding members expanded to 17 following the addition of Open Influence.
Since its inception, the IMTB has:
- Been appointed as a member of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) to represent the influencer marketing sector.
- Provided written evidence to Parliament’s inquiry into influencer culture, and cited favourably in the resulting report and the Government’s formal response to that report.
- Set up a meeting between its members and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and responded formally to its Online Advertising Programme consultation.
- Was referenced in updated guidance on influencer marketing from the CAP and the Competition and Markets Authority.
- Launched regulatory advice service Reassure, a free benefit to members, covering areas including substantiation for environmental claims on Instagram, commercial music use on YouTube, exploring the boundaries of taste and decency on TikTok, and gambling and unlicensed medicinal products.
The timing for this sector is especially critical in the U.K., as the Online Safety Bill moves through Parliament. The OSB is aimed at protecting children, including a section on fraudulent advertising contending that user-generated content and paid-for advertising are separate entities, which should be regulated in distinct ways, potentially foreshadowing future tension in regulation.
Open Influence director of partnerships, U.K. Patrick Lindon said in a statement, “Open Influence U.K. is delighted to come onboard the Influencer Marketing Trade Body along with other leaders in this space. We want to see this industry thrive and grow and trade bodies like IMTB that advise, interpret, establish standards, and educate make it possible.”
IMTB director general Scott Guthrie added, “I’m so pleased Open Influence has joined our swelling ranks of progressive creator marketing firms. A profitable industry over the long haul can only be assured when its main players come together and demonstrate accountability and professionalism. The Influencer Marketing Trade Body offers that accountability through its code of conduct. Open Influence will be an asset to our body as we share best practices to nudge our industry forward together.”
About Open Influence:
Open Influence is a global award-winning creator marketing company that is at the front of the creator economy. Established in 2013, OI has been a pioneer in this space, executing social strategies for more than 1,000 of the world’s largest brands including P&G, Universal, Google, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, Kellogg’s, Nestle, Netflix, and more.
The company’s proprietary platform boasts the industry’s largest collection of influencer data and leverages machine learning and image recognition to analyse more than 100 million pieces of content. Additionally, OI’s suite of workflow management tools makes it easy to track progress and manage communication.
