A majority feels ASCI's new rules for influencers will positively impact social media interactions

Most people claim their engagement with an influencer’s post is likely to increase due to this development but few think it may decrease

In an attempt to help consumers identify promotional content from user-generated content, the ASCI recently introduced new draft guidelines for influencer advertising wherein social media influencers will have to prominently label any paid content or collaborations done with brands.

Now YouGov’s latest survey reveals half of social media users in India (52%) feel positive about this decision and think it is likely to increase their interaction with an influencer’s post as it provides more transparency.

Even though a majority feel this way, one in five (21%) think it will have a detrimental impact on their engagement with posts, as they would appear like any other advertisements. One in six (16%) feel there will be no change in their social media interactions and one in ten (11%) are unsure about their behavior.

Thinking about the likely impact of these guidelines, a third of urban Indians agree with the statement ‘The new ASCI guidelines will encourage influencers to create more transparent and responsible content’. Slightly lesser (29%) think it will enhance the level of trust between the customers, influencers and brands or will lead to careful brand endorsements by influencers (21%).

A meagre percent foresee a negative impact: with influencers losing followers (4%) or generating less interaction for their social media posts (2%).

When asked specifically about how this development is likely to impact their own decision to follow an influencer or purchase a product based on their recommendation, more than half of urban Indians hinted towards a positive response in both these areas. In comparison to this, very few envision a negative impact on their judgement.

Millennials (57%) are more likely to feel the positive impact of ad-labelled content as compared to Gen X (51%) and Gen Z (48%) respondents.

YouGov Omnibus data collected online among around 1040 respondents in India between March 2^nd- 5^th, 2021 using YouGov’s panel of over 6 million people worldwide. Data is representative of the urban adult population in the country.