Influencers must understand the laws that govern them and what they promote: Manisha Kapoor, CEO of ASCI

“Influencers need to understand their rights as well as responsibilities. They need to protect themselves as well as their followers. Both brands and influencers are equally liable [for misleading consumers]. They need to understand that there is a force of law that bears upon them,” says Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), on the accountability of influencers towards their followers when they create paid content. In this interview with MediaNama, Kapoor shares her insights on ASCI’s recent report, ‘Wielding Influence, Nurturing Trust’, and on the advantages and challenges of the evolving influencer marketing ecosystem. We asked Kapoor the following questions and more: Who is an influencer and how has the concept evolved over the years? What prompted the ASCI to explore the ‘trust factor’ in the influencer ecosystem? What factors have boosted influencer marketing in the last few years? What major issues with influencer marketing need to be addressed on priority? In what ways can the advertising and marketing guidelines go beyond ‘disclosure norms’ to address the impact of misinformation spread by influencers? How do we address the problem of impostors and fake followers? What ethical concerns should an influencer focus on when collaborating with brands? What key areas is ASCI looking into when it comes to regulating the influencer marketing space? And what are its limitations? Watch the full interview here: While we encourage you to watch the full video, here are some note-worthy excerpts from the interview: On the growth of influencer…