New research was released last month from Harvard Business Review that indicates brands and influencers who use #ad in their content are not hurting the performance of their content.

The research, based on multiple surveys taken over the course of 2015-2018, asked participants how influencer disclosures affected consumers attitude, trust, and purchase intent. The results, shown below, conclude that the gap that once existed has closed to the point where having a disclosure or not makes no statistical difference on whether people are likely to buy or not. 

In fact, in some cases it may prove to be an asset, that the influencer has the credibility to have a true brand partnership and therefore they get listened to more than people who don't.

What we have found running hundreds of these programs is that really good content elevates above #ad or #sponsored. Poor performing content may be pushed down further with the disclosure, but that high performing content that you need to really rely on for the success of your influencer campaigns is not damaged by #ad.

So, by staying in compliance with the FTC this could potentially show an increased likelihood of people wanting to buy based off of sponsored content. It's a good reason to continue your disclosures in your influencer marketing campaigns. And if you're not up to speed on the FTC guidelines, download our complimentary cheat sheet below to keep your brand safe.