It is commonplace in this day and age for businesses to cast their nets wide in terms of marketing. This is why you see affiliate marketing and influencer marketing being some of the most common marketing strategies these days. Affiliate marketing simply entails marketing another business’ products and services earning commissions in the process. Influencer marketing is basically social media marketing that works by endorsements or recommendation of products or services by influencers. Influencers are people or brands who wield a huge social media following. This all is exciting and money can be made from this but as a brand you must be careful when choosing which ads to associate yourself with.

Some Practical Local Examples

Yesterday Star FM Zimbabwe tweeted:

The tweet got quite some backlash which is not good for Star FM in the end. At first glance, you might think that ad is acceptable but it really is problematic. The general idea of herbal teas being used to achieve flat tummies is not new actually and it is popular these days. However, the ad is misleading, not entirely factual and is somewhat insensitive. Over and above that, there is no mention of the brand name of the tea and any other pertinent details that authenticate the tea.

It is not surprising that some people reacted saying the ad is false, fake and not factual. I will quote one particular reaction tweet which sort of sums up my sentiments exactly: “You are implying that belly fat is a cause of these conditions however, the actual fact is that there is a correlation between abdominal obesity and most of these conditions implying that it is rather a risk factor”. As you can see the wording of the ad was poorly thought-out because it insinuated inaccurate things. For a brand like Star FM to issue an ad like this was somewhat careless. Going forward other ads on their timeline might not be taken seriously due to this precedent. Do not take ads lightly; they can really dent your reputation in unimaginable ways.

263Chat earlier on this year also experienced a more or less similar situation. They had posted a Nuru massage ad and it got some backlash on them.  I am sure you now get the context of why the ad generated backlash – especially considering how conservative locals generally are.

Safeguard Your Brand

There are certain things you must look at before deciding whether or not you will run another brand’s ad under your banner. Do not take these things lightly because they can hurt your brand in ways that might prove irreparable.

Carefully consider the content of the ad – the 2 examples I earlier on discussed are perfect examples of this point. Ad content might be misleading, insensitive or not factual amongst other things. If you are not careful incidents emanating from the use of products or services bought (that you advertised) might drag you along if it gets legal. A significant segment of your followers or clients might stop doing business with you due to content they might find offensive or insensitive. So, take time to examine and analyse the content of an ad before you run it. It is at best wise to only run ads that are not open to misinterpretation – it is better to be safe than sorry.

Consider what your brand stands for in light of an ad you want to run. Will it compromise the ethos of what you stand for? Will it be acceptable to the people that hold your brand in high regard? These are some of the questions you must ask yourself. Do not be blinded by the prospects of making money yet possibly setting yourself up for colossal repercussions.

All this sounds very simple but please pay attention to it every time any business approaches you for affiliate or influencer marketing. It is understandable that money can be made but do not jeopardize the future of your brand by overlooking certain things. This applies to any brand; either you are a business, a company or even an individual – be wary and be vigilant.