Why Influencers Are Unionizing & What It May Mean for the Future of Influencer Marketing
Influencers wield considerable influence over consumer buying decisions. The existence of more than 740 influencer marketing agencies and platforms is proof that investment in the industry only continues to build.
However when it comes to negotiating fees and securing contracts to determine compensation and intellectual property rights, many influencers consistently face an uphill battle. Recently an anonymous Instagram handle @InfluencerPayGap made the rallying call for influencers to fight cohesively for their own interests.
THE CREATOR’S UNION
The Creator’s Union is the first of its kind – a union for influencers to address a litany of issues including compensation disparity, opacity, lack of diversity, lack of fair content usage, and delayed payments.
Opacity in the industry has created and enabled discriminatory practices. Influencers who are Black, LGBTQ, or plus size are paid significantly less than their straight, white, thin counterparts.
At times influencers have a difficult time negotiating contracts, and they end up receiving delayed payments or none at all. They also have little to no control over the use of the content they create.
The Creators Union is meant to address that power dynamic that favors brands more than influencers who function as freelancers and contractors and typically have very little protection if they’re not represented by an agency.
Influencers on both sides of the pond are coming together to try and bring more transparency and fairness to their profession.
THE AMERICAN INFLUENCER COUNCIL
Meanwhile, a core group of American influencers have created The American Influencer Council, a nonprofit trade association working to make the industry fairer on a global scale.
The American Influencer Council brings together an amalgamation of content creators, including influencers, bloggers, photographers, and illustrators who want to be recognized as Small Business Owners and leaders of high-growth startups.
The Influencer Council plans to organize around five major issues, which are:
Consumer Transparency
Data Science and Influencer Economy
Learning and Development
Public Goodwill
Standardization and Ethics
By unionizing, influencers hope to engage more productively with agencies, brands, platforms and even lawmakers to achieve a more fair, inclusive playground for emerging and established influencers.
If influencers can achieve a greater degree of transparency, we can anticipate a fairer and more inclusive future for influencers. Organizations like The Creators Union are taking a page from their predecessor, the Writers Guild, that negotiated successfully for a group of contractors and freelancers.