At Google Brussels, industry leaders, regulators and consumer representatives came together to discuss how influencer marketing can maintain its phenomenal growth rate while ensuring fairness, ethical behaviour and consumer protection

IMTB was back in Brussels this week - this time at the invitation of Google Brussels. Representing the European Influencer Marketing Alliance (EIMA) our director general, Scott Guthrie, highlighted the explosive global growth of influencer marketing along with the positive economic and societal impact the creator economy has on the European Union’s GDP. 

Global spend on influencer marketing now tops cinema box office takings and has grown fivefold in five years from $6.5Bn in 2019 to exceed $34Bn in 2024.

In 2023, YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over €6.4Bn to the European Union’s GDP and supported more than 185,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the EU, according to Oxford Economics data.

With such growth spurts come the inevitability of growing pains. During the panel discussion Denisa Alexandroaiei, Legal Officer, DG Justice and Consumers, at the European Commission pointed to the low disclosure rates of influencers in Europe. Guthrie conceded that there was work to be done but that self-regulation has proven extremely effective in upping disclosure rates. 

Ludovic Basset, Director General, European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) underscored the success of self-regulation, explaining that in France disclosure rates on influencer commercial content had risen from 32% to 85% between 2020 and 2024 and in the Netherlands rates had jumped from 25% to 60% in a single year from 2024 to 2025. Both success stories were achieved via EASA’s Adethics programme - IMTB is a member of EASA through its co-founding of EIMA.

During the panel discussion titled ‘Influencer marketing - How can we strike the right balance between fostering creativity and innovation and ensuring ethical responsibility and consumer protection?’ Guthrie reinforced to panellists and the audience the importance of trust within influencer marketing. He told delegates the biggest trust driver within advertising is the quality of the creative i.e. the creativity, entertainment value and emotional engagement. Simply put, the more someone likes or enjoys an ad the more likely they are to trust it.

Conversely, the biggest trust diminishers within influencer marketing are hidden advertising -  where influencers are not upfront with their audiences about their commercial relationships with brands - and when influencer marketing makes claims that consumers feel are misleading or dishonest. 

Across Europe, one message is clear: consumers expect honesty, clarity and consistency. Creativity will remain the heartbeat of influencer marketing, but trust must be its foundation. This sentiment lies at the core of both the IMTB and EIMA - we promote responsible influencer marketing. Advertising that can be trusted by the public, trusted by advertisers and trusted by legislators. We believe this is the surest route to securing our industry's full financial security. 

The panel discussion was part of the International Advertising Association’s Creativity 4 Better Brussels: Innovation and integrity in the evolving world of digital marketing.

The fellow industry expert panellists were Charley Stoney, CEO, European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), Denisa Alexandroaiei, Legal Officer, DG Justice and Consumers, European Commission, Els Bruggeman, Head of Policy, Euroconsumers, Ludovic Basset, Director General, European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), Scott Guthrie, European Influencer Marketing Alliance (EIMA).

The panel was expertly moderated by Rebecka Allén, Advertising Industry Relations Manager, EMEA at Google.

Cecilia Zappalà, Head of EU Government Affairs and Public Policy, YouTube provided the welcome address for the event and set the scene for the evening's discussion. 

About EIMA

IMTB cofounded EIMA in 2024 alongside France’s Union des Métiers de l'Influence et des Créateurs de Contenus (UMICC) and Germany’s Bundesverband Influencer Marketing e.V. (BVIM). The alliance now includes representatives from Belgium, Spain, Italy and Latvia. 

EIMA offers a practical way to share local expertise with partner members for the betterment of the influencer marketing industry.

About the Influencer Marketing Trade Body

The IMTB is a UK-based not-for-profit professional membership organisation dedicated to building a robust, sustainable future for the influencer marketing industry through increased accountability, governance and a unified voice.

Launched in October 2021 with six founding members, the IMTB now counts circa. 30 progressive creator economy companies as members.

Member organisations sign up to a code of conduct when joining the IMTB. The code articulates specific requirements for members. These are the behaviours that members must demonstrate when they are providing business services and ensure our members are always responsible, accountable, transparent and competent.

IMTB represents influencer marketing on the Committee of Advertising Practice ("CAP") as a member. CAP is responsible for writing and updating the rules on advertising in the UK via the CAP (Non-broadcast Advertising) Code. 

CAP is the sister organisation of the Advertising Standards Authority ("ASA") - the UK’s independent advertising regulator that administers the CAP Code to keep ads legal, decent, honest and truthful.

IMTB co-owns the Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct alongside ISBA. The Code, first launched by ISBA in September 2021 and updated in May 2022 and November 2024, aims to standardise good practices and guidance with brands, agencies and creators. It covers areas including disclosure, transparency, pay parity, and effective representation.