Influencer marketing is where brands collaborate with third-party endorsers (“influencers”) – human, animal, or virtually produced (e.g., AI-generated) – to create and share content online that promotes the brand’s products or services, typically in return for compensation. This approach leverages the influencers’ ability to affect the opinions and behaviors of their followers.
When done well, influencer marketing is an effective, authentic, engaging way for brands to reach specific audiences and grow their businesses. However, the key to successful influencer marketing is leveraging the trust and connection influencers have built with their followers. If done irresponsibly, e.g., by failing to disclose the nature of the content, promoting age-restricted products like alcohol or gambling to a protected age group such as children and young people, or otherwise disregarding applicable advertising regulations – it can mislead the audience, produce irresponsible or harmful content, cause reputational damage, and erode trust in the influencer, the brand, and advertising generally.
Brands, agencies, influencers, and all participants in the advertising chain bear some responsibility for ensuring marketing communications are responsible. Many countries with a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for advertising have developed guidance aimed at preventing misleading or irresponsible influencer marketing. An overview of existing (self-)regulatory Guidelines implemented in ICAS markets worldwide to ensure a transparent disclosure of ads by social media influencers is available below. Many of these guidelines are inspired by and consistent with the ICC Marketing Code.
In addition to providing guidance, many SROs also offer training courses and certification programs to support influencers in understanding and applying responsible advertising practices. For example, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has developed The Responsible Influencing Playbook, an ASCI Certified Course designed to promote ethical influencer conduct. In Europe, EASA has launched AdEthics, a comprehensive initiative combining two complementary pillars: Training, a fast, accessible, and affordable online course on responsible advertising practices; and Certification, which ensures responsible communication through ongoing monitoring of creators’ published content. Together, these efforts provide a robust framework to assess, educate, and reinforce ethical marketing communications aligned with self-regulatory standards and legislation.
Based on existing guidance and global best practice, ICAS coordinated the development of the WFA Global Guidance on Influencer Marketing, which is available for WFA members here.
| Country | Guidelines | Document date | Language |
| Argentina | Comunicación con fines comerciales: Recomendaciones para Influencers (Commercial Communication: Recommendations for Influencers) | Aug-22 | ES |
| Australia | Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics Practice Note , The AiMCO Influencer Marketing Code of Practice and The ABAC Best Practice for Responsible Digital Marketing | 02/2021, 08/2022 and 06/2025 | EN |
| Belgium | Code Relatif à l'Identificación des Communicacions Comerciales par les Influencers et Createurs de Contenu (Code Relating to the Identification of Commercial Communications by Influencers and Content Creators) | Aug-25 | FR, NL |
| Brazil | Guia de Publicidade por Influenciadores Digitais (Guide on Advertising by Digital Influencers) | 11/3/2021 | PT and EN |
| Canada | The Influencer Marketing and the Competition Act from the Competition Bureau , The Deceptive Marketing Practices Digest – Volume 4. , Influencer Disclosure Guidelines and Interpretation Guideline #5 | 2022, 2018 and 2023 | EN |
| Chile | Guía SERNAC Influencers y Publicidad Nativa (SERNAC Guide on Influencers and Native Advertising), Guía Práctica de influencer de Marketing de IAB (IAB Practical Guide to Influencer Marketing) and the Código Chileno de Ética Publicitária de CONAR (Chilean Code of Advertising Ethics of CONAR) | 2022, 2023 and 2025 | ES |
| Colombia | Guía para una comunicación comercial responsable a través de influenciadores (Guide for Responsible Commercial Communication through Influencers) | 2020 | ES |
| France | Law No. 2023-451 , ARPP's Recommendation Communication publicitaire numérique v5 , ARPP's Code , ARPP's Toolkit for Content Creators for political advertising and ARPP's Tootlkit for Content Creators for Mental Health and Ciber Bulling | 2023, 2022 and 2024 | FR |
| Greece | Influencer Marketing (Appendix to the Greek Advertising Code) | 7/11/2023 | GR |
| India | Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media | Mar-25 | EN |
| Ireland | Guidance on Influencer Advertising and Marketing | Nov-24 | EN |
| Italy | Social Network and Content Sharing Section of the IAP Digital Chart and further information on Influencers | Jun-23 | IT |
| Malaysia | Content Code | May-22 | EN and MY |
| New Zealand | Influencers AdHelp Information on Identifying Ad Content and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Codes | Aug-21 | EN |
| Philippines | ASC Digital Guidelines for Regulated and Non-Regulated Categories | 15/02/2017 | EN |
| Portugal | Guia 3I's Influenciar os Influenciadores que são Influenciados (3I’s Guide – Influencing the Influencers Who Are Influenced) | Mar-24 | PT |
| Romania | Romanian Advertising Code | 16/04/2021 | EN, RO |
| Singapore | Guidelines for Interactive Marketing Communication & Social Media and Annex B - Guidance Notes for Interactive Marketing Communication & Social Media . The Guidelines should be read with the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice (SCAP) | 29/08/2016 | EN |
| South Africa | Social Media Code | 20/05/2019 | EN |
| Spain | Código de Conducta de Publicidad a través de Influencers (Code of Conduct for Advertising through Influencers) | Oct-25 | ES |
| Sweden | The ICC Code, The Swedish Consumer Agency guidance on marketing in social media , The Industry recommendation on advertising disclosure in influencer marketing on social media and The IAB Sweden’s Influencer Marketing Best Practice Guide | 2024 and 2025 | SE |
| The Netherlands | Advertising Code for Social Media & Influencer Marketing Code | updated 2022 | Advertising Code for Social Media & Influencer Marketing Code>NL, EN |
| Turkey | Osyal Media Etkä Leyä Cä Lerä Tarafindan Yapilan Tä Carä Reklam Ve Haksiz Tä Carä Uygulamalar Hakkinda Kilavuz (Guide on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices by Social Media Influencers) | 5/5/2021 | TR |
| United Arab Emirates | A Guide to Influencer Marketing in the United Arab Emirates Best Practices Charter, ABG Best Practices Charter for UAE and The Whitepaper: The Evolving Landscape of Influencer Marketing Within the UAE and KSA | April 2021 and Nov. 2024 | EN |
| United Kingdom | Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads | 23/03/2023 | EN |
| USA | Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising , Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers and Federal Register :: Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials | 26/07/2023, 5/11/2019 and 8/2/2024 | EN |
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