Ferragni-Balocco case, the Antitrust: “Mixture between charity and sponsors”
The mixing of charity and sponsorship can penalize consumers: this was declared by the president of the Antitrust, Roberto Rustichelli, in presenting his report on the Ferragni-Balocco case.
“The procedures aimed at repressing incorrect behavior in relation to online reviews and the investigations conducted in the influencer marketing sector deserve to be recalled”, states Rustichelli.
The president of the Antitrust continues: “The latter have highlighted how consumer behavior can be unduly prejudiced by communication based on an ambiguous mix between sponsorship and charitable initiatives, leading them to believe – contrary to the truth – that they are contributing to the charitable initiative through the purchase of the product”.
“The sharing of one's consumption experiences on social networks and in dedicated virtual spaces, which is part of the broader phenomenon of generating feedback and content by users, has proven capable of significantly influencing purchasing choices”.
And again: “The promotional strategy of companies has therefore adapted to the new context, valorising consumer reviews in the marketing of products or services, or taking advantage of the visibility of influencers, who are able to reach a large number of people with their messages. potential buyers.”
Rustichelli recalled that “following the investigation, the Authority ascertained that the donation advertised as linked to the sales of 'Pandoro Pink Christmas' had been made by Balocco alone several months before the launch of the product on the market, for an amount of fixed, therefore devoid of any relationship with the quantities of the product sold, and without any direct participation of the influencer involved in the charitable initiative”.
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