Italy’s luxury and fashion industries have long pioneered influencer marketing, setting global trends. However, the Chiara Ferragni scandal has sparked regulatory discussions and led brands to adopt a more cautious and selective approach to influencer partnerships. In this interview, Raffaella Pierpaoli, Head of Content and Social at Intarget, discusses the challenges and opportunities for brands, alongside the key trends shaping influencer marketing in Italy.
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The influencer marketing industry in Italy is experiencing rapid growth, in double digits up to 2023. The luxury fashion sector led the way years ago, but we now see companies from various industries recognising its value. Previously hesitant brands are now actively scaling their efforts.
Conversely, companies with long-standing influencer strategies are reassessing their approaches following the Chiara Ferragni scandal. Many are shifting from high-volume influencer collaborations to more selective partnerships, prioritising quality over quantity. This shift is driven by concerns about reputational risks and the need to align influencers with brand values more effectively.
Brands new to influencer marketing often bring expectations from other digital activities like advertising, where metrics and KPIs are highly predictable. They sometimes demand guaranteed metrics, such as cost-per-impression (CPI), even for purely organic influencer campaigns. While such forecasts are feasible on platforms like Instagram, TikTok presents more variability due to its algorithm and user behavior. Educating clients about these nuances is a critical part of our work.
The Italian market features diverse agency types.
Traditional PR agencies are strong in the luxury fashion sector, often favoring celebrity-like influencers over grassroots creators.
Specialised influencer agencies are data-driven, often managing rosters of young influencers and focusing on campaign performance metrics.
Talent agencies: We frequently collaborate with these agencies, as many influencers are represented by them, making direct communication rare.
Integrated agencies like Intarget: Our approach integrates influencer marketing within the broader digital strategy, aligning campaigns with advertising, SEO, and data-driven insights. This ensures influencer activities contribute effectively to overarching business objectives.
While brands increasingly acknowledge the strategic value of influencers, many struggle to integrate influencer activities into their broader marketing plans. Siloed approaches persist, limiting the potential impact. Our strength lies in aligning influencer marketing with clients’ digital goals, but this often requires a cultural shift within organisations to encourage transparency and collaboration.
The proposed regulations aim to increase transparency and accountability in influencer marketing. AGCOM has convened a working group, including Intarget via the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), to refine the rules. Key focus areas include:
Law:
The full Italian Law on Audiovisual Media Services now applies to professional influencers (although the discussion is still open on how to define a professional influencer). Certain provisions, including regulations on advertising transparency and the protection of minors, apply to all influencers.
Code of Ethics:
The Code of Ethics strengthens several principles of conduct already outlined in the Italian Law on Audiovisual Media Services. Key highlights include:
Experienced influencers are generally aware of their obligations, and the new rules will help to increase awareness further. I hope that the enforcement of these rules will also encourage greater awareness among micro-influencers.
Personally, I would have preferred the rules to apply uniformly to all influencers, regardless of their size. This would simplify the law, create a healthier social environment, and ensure that all influencers take greater personal responsibility for adhering to advertising standards.
The emphasis on influencer authenticity and alignment with brand values will grow. Brands are increasingly aware that influencer content serves as a powerful vehicle for brand storytelling, requiring careful selection based on audience fit and data-driven insights.
The regulatory landscape will also play a significant role. AGCOM’s guidelines will likely lead to greater transparency and accountability, benefiting brands and consumers alike. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok will continue to evolve, introducing tools to support compliance and maximize campaign effectiveness.
Italy’s influencer marketing industry is at a pivotal moment. Brands are navigating the dual challenges of maximising campaign impact while adhering to evolving ethical and regulatory standards. As we look ahead, a focus on authenticity, strategic integration, and compliance will define success.
Kolsquare is Europe’s leading Influencer Marketing platform, offering a data-driven solution that empowers brands to scale their KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing strategies through authentic partnerships with top creators.
Kolsquare’s advanced technology helps marketing professionals seamlessly identify the best content creators by filtering their content and audience, while also enabling them to build, manage, and optimize campaigns from start to finish. This includes measuring results and benchmarking performance against competitors.
With a thriving global community of influencer marketing experts, Kolsquare serves hundreds of customers—including Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, Lush, and Hermès—by leveraging the latest Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning technologies. Our platform taps into an extensive network of KOLs with more than 5,000 followers across 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.
As a Certified B Corporation, Kolsquare leads the way in promoting Responsible Influence, championing transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations that inspire positive change.
Since October 2024, Kolsquare has become part of the Team.Blue group, one of the largest private tech companies in Europe, and a leading digital enabler for businesses and entrepreneurs across Europe. Team.Blue brings together over 60 successful brands in web hosting, domains, e-commerce, online compliance, lead generation, application solutions, and social media.
