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Downtown Wichita is proven on this inventory photograph.
The City of Wichita has directed native influencers to label social media and digital content material that the city has paid for.
The transfer comes after a video from a neighborhood influencer about the city’s work to patch potholes went viral on TikTok. The video was paid for by the city, however not labeled as such.
Adding content material labels places the city and influencers in compliance with not too long ago issued Federal Trade Commission tips. The FTC requires all paid content material be labeled, or each events might be fined.
“We’re studying, we’re shifting, and we’re hoping to develop it,” city spokesperson Megan Lovely stated. “But once more, we’re largely centered on simply attempting to discover methods to attain as many individuals as attainable.”
According to paperwork obtained by KMUW, the city started paying influencers for content material in 2021. The content material largely promoted Park and Recreation actions and applications.
The city then steadily elevated its expenditures to native influencers by means of bigger bundle offers. In 2023, it spent about $26,000 with a number of native influencers, together with Wichita Life and Wichita by E.B.
Wichita Life and Wichita by E.B. didn’t reply to a number of emails and social media messages for remark.
The city argued that it started utilizing influencers as a result of conventional media buys are dearer, and {that a} current survey achieved by the city confirmed folks received their info about the city from social media.
“We all know the fractured state of media,” Lovely stated. “If everybody was getting their information in a single place, that will make our job an entire lot simpler.”
Jenny Heinrich is an Influencer Marketing professor at DePaul University. She stated when it comes to labeling paid content material, it’s about being sincere with the viewers.
“There’s some alternate, there’s a relationship there,” she stated. “If you’re not disclosing that there’s a relationship between you, and no matter model or product it’s, you then’re not being sincere together with your group members.”
The city insists that it doesn’t have oversight of what’s printed, and as an alternative suggests subjects for the influencers to publish about.
Lovely stated the city labored with Wichita Life to publish a video explainer about STAR bond districts, however the video “didn’t do properly.”
“This is just not one thing individuals are partaking with,” Lovely stated. “So, in that occasion, it was kind of a collaboration to say, ‘OK, properly, we wish to enhance training about this subject. This is just not the platform to do it. This is just not profitable in reaching the numbers that we’re on the lookout for.’”
The Wichita Airport Authority, which oversees Eisenhower National Airport, additionally paid for native influencers to create content material to promote the airport.
City paperwork present that the airport will pay Wichita by E.B. virtually $5,000 for a number of social media and weblog posts, in addition to a number of options within the coming 12 months.
A enterprise proposal from Wichita by E.B. exhibits that these posts will be on subjects “agreed upon” with the airport authority.
A weblog publish on E.B.’s website about an airport occasion, which occurred earlier than the city advised influencers to label paid content material, didn’t disclose that the content material was paid for by the airport.
Heinrich, the DePaul professor, stated influencers who’re discovered of compliance with FTC tips for paid content material will typically obtain a warning. After that preliminary warning, although, the influencer and model paying for the content material can obtain fines.
“If an influencer is constantly doing this, the FTC will discover, and so they will get served,” Heinrich stated. “Not solely will the influencer get fined and have a letter written, so will the model.
“Because it’s actually the model and/or the company who’s working this system to be certain that the creator that they’re partnering with are disclosing the partnership in one of the best ways attainable.”
• Kylie Cameron is a reporter with the Kansas News Service.
https://www2.ljworld.com/information/state-region/2024/apr/25/city-of-wichita-has-been-paying-social-media-influencers-to-write-about-city-projects-new-rules-will-require-disclosure/
