Digital Influencers

Presentation

The Digital Influencers project is a project that involves analyzing the practies of portuguese digital influencers regarding advertising, in light of Portuguese legislation and current best practices, in order to present conclusions about their respective levels of compliance. The Digital Influencers project is promoted and carried out by the following entities:

• ARP – Auto Regulação Publicitária (Advertising Self-Regulation)
• CEAD – Centro de Estudos Avançados em Direito Francisco Suárez da Universidade Lusófona.
• DEUS (Data Science, Engineering, User Experience Design, Strategy), approved technological partner by EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency).

Study Basis

A total of 1000 digital influencers with the highest daily interactions (likes + comments received on posts) in Portugal during the year 2021 were used for this study. Additionally, 277 brands were included, which are regularly referenced in the Instagram accounts with significant size and visibility in Portugal. Only public Instagram accounts with more than 2,500 followers were considered for the study.

Ultimate study objectives

The present study serves an educational purpose. If good levels of compliance are identified, it aims to highlight and maximize the industry's best practices. However, if low levels of compliance are observed, the study's conclusions will help digital influencers and advertising companies improve their respective practices.

The findings of the study will be taken into account in the drafting of the Influence Marketing Guide (3 I's Guide - Influencing the Influencers who are Influenced), to be approved by ARP (Advertising Self-Regulation), and in the updating of the ARP Code of Conduct.