The Power And Perils Of Influencer Marketing: Recent Developments, Competition Considerations And Best Practices

In a move to address concerns related to misleading influencer marketing, the Competition Bureau announced late last year that it had sent letters to nearly 100 brands and agencies across Canada, advising them to take a close look at their social media marketing practices.  This followed in the wake of a similar campaign initiated by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2017.

This is the first part of a two-part series. Next week, we will look at what actions the Bureau takes after issuing warnings like these to market participants (spoiler alert: the Bureau took enforcement action, so these letters should not be taken lightly).

The Bureau's news release highlighted the responsibility of influencers and businesses to clearly disclose any relationship between influencers and the brands, products or services they promote in their digital content. In it, the Bureau emphasizes the need for influencers to post honest reviews and testimonials that are derived from actual