ABSTRACT

Influencer marketing is an increasingly important and ubiquitous component of strategic communication campaigns, yet one that remains ethically fraught, due largely to the nonexistence of, and objections to, ethics codes and/or regulation guiding its use or disclosure. This article describes a unique academic/industry hybrid study conducted in the Czech Republic combining (a) mixed-methods research in which marketing professionals, industry associations, influencers, and consumers served as participants and (b) a case study of the subsequent development and implementation of – and positive responses to – that nation’s first “Fair Influencer” Code of Ethics, whose content was based directly on the research findings. To date, the Code has 150 signatories, representing all constituencies of the influencer-marketing sphere, and has been lauded by Czech and Slovak consumer and media outlets as well as influencers themselves, suggesting the applicability of similar efforts in other nations where influencer marketing thrives but still lacks – and encounters resistance to – ethical or regulatory oversight.

摘要

有影响力的营销是战略传播活动中越来越重要和无处不在的组成部分，但在道德上仍然充满争议，这在很大程度上是由于指导其使用或披露的道德准则和/或法规不存在或遭到反对。本文介绍了在捷克共和国进行的一项独特的学术/行业混合研究，该研究结合了 (a) 营销专业人士、行业协会、影响者和消费者作为参与者的混合方法研究，以及 (b) 随后发展的案例研究和实施并积极响应该国首个“公平影响者”道德规范，其内容直接基于研究结果。迄今为止，该准则已有 150 个签署方，代表了影响者营销领域的所有支持者，