Chiara Ferragni, once a celebrated influencer, is at the center of a scandal. Even Italy's Prime Minister Meloni is intervening.
Rome – Italian Instagram celebrity Chiara Ferragni deceived her almost 30 million followers with a video. Now she is returning from the scandal to the spotlight. But the desire for oblivion could be deceptive: large companies like Coca-Cola are distancing themselves.
A period of 18 days may seem like an eternity for an influencer. Since the week before Christmas, there has been absolute silence on Chiara Ferragni's Instagram profile. Now the Italian, who has almost 30 million followers worldwide, is reporting again for the first time: a photo in her stories, still without a face, but with deep black nail polish, a cup in her hand, a friendly buongiorno and a heart. No mention of the misleading advertising scandal that rocked their international community in the last month of last year, and Italy at that.
Influencer scandal in Italy: multi-millionaire is the mother of two children
New Year New luck? Is everything already forgotten? If that was their hope, it may prove illusory. Now the first corporate customers on which the multi-millionaire's business model is mainly based are distancing themselves: The beverage giant Coca-Cola has just announced that it will abandon a commercial that has already been filmed and was scheduled to be broadcast at the Sanremo Music Festival at the end of January. For Italy, this is comparable to Rihanna being uninvited from the halftime break of the Super Bowl in the USA last year.
It is important to know that Ferragni can certainly keep up with the conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in her home country. The 36-year-old, married to the Italian rapper Fedez (14.7 million followers), mother of two small children, is also known to many in Germany. In recent years she has cleverly played the gossip columns and social media, even having her own reality show on television. In addition to her sales talent, she also increasingly commented on social issues.
Influencer wanted to donate to the children's cancer ward – not a single cent was received
The surprise, disappointment and anger were all the greater when the national antitrust authority AGCM imposed a million euro fine on them for unfair competition shortly before Christmas. The reason: Ferragni had led her huge community to believe that most of the proceeds from a cake she was promoting called “Pink Christmas” (price: nine euros) would go to a children's cancer ward. In reality, the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin did not receive a cent, despite selling more than 360,000 cakes. Campaigns for Easter eggs and a doll may have had similar patterns.
Several public prosecutors are now dealing with the issue. Prime Minister Meloni used the Ferragni case to have a new law examined for more transparency in such Internet sites. There were nasty comments on Ferragni's Instagram profile. Her luxury boutique in Rome was daubed with inscriptions such as “Bandita” (“Bandit”) and “Truffatrice” (“Fraud”). Shortly before Christmas she finally released an apology video, but this only made the situation worse.
Apology video from Chiara Ferragni: Influencer speaks of “communication error”
In the video, Ferragni presented himself strongly staged in a sinner's pose: subtle make-up, in mouse-gray knitwear, with a fragile voice and close to tears. She spoke of a “communication error”, promised to avoid such “misunderstandings” in the future and announced that she would donate one million euros to the children's cancer ward in Turin. At the same time, she declared that she was contesting the cartel office's decision and wanted to demand the money back. Many people didn't believe her performance. Shortly afterwards, the eyewear manufacturer Safilo (brands like “Boss”) was the first company to stop working with her.
Almost at the same time as her return to Instagram, Coca-Cola also announced that it would be suspending its collaboration with the influencer until further notice. Other previous advertising partners are now closely watching what is happening: Italian companies such as the luxury fashion manufacturer Tod's and the lingerie brands Intimissimi and Calzedonia, but also international corporations such as L'Oréal, Nestlé and Procter & Gamble. How things will turn out for Ferragni and her company is still uncertain.
“Fall from the Olympus of influencers”: Chiara Ferragni still benefits with an apology video
According to “Oggi” magazine, the influencer has now lost more than 70,000 followers on Instagram. In addition, many are said to have said goodbye quietly. Marketing expert Giampaolo Colletti says: “The crisis that Ferragni is experiencing takes us into unknown territory. This is the first fall from the Olympus of influencers.” The most important thing for her now is to regain credibility. So far, most experts are of the opinion that the Internet does not forgive, but it also quickly forgets.
The signs are not yet clear. At the start of the Italian winter sales this weekend, Ferragni's boutique in Rome was pretty empty. The saleswomen were busy folding sweaters. On the other hand: The mouse gray jumpsuit made of wool and angora (price: 600 euros) that Ferragni wore in her apology video was completely sold out shortly afterwards. The colors black and white are now completely sold out. (thanks via dpa)
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our
AI principles here.
#Megascandal #involving #worldfamous #influencer #Childhood #cancer #hoax #scandal