Working with Influencers

Join leaders from National Advertising Division (NAD) in the U.S and Canada’s Ad Standards for a timely discussion on how advertising self-regulation is evolving in response to influencer marketing.

This Spotlight will examine how both organizations are advancing guidance, education, and industry training to help brands, agencies, and creators navigate increasing expectations around transparency, accountability, and consumer trust across North America.

• Examining evolving disclosure and transparency expectations in influencer and digital advertising
• Analyzing recent Canadian consumer trust research and public perceptions related to influencer marketing and advertising transparency
• Devising practical approaches to strengthening advertising compliance in influencer marketing environments
• Comparing and contrasting Canadian and U.S approaches to advertising standards and self-regulation

As influencer marketing continues to evolve, regulators and self-regulatory bodies across North America are increasing scrutiny on advertising disclosures, deceptive marketing practices, and brand accountability.

This session examines the latest enforcement actions, regulatory developments, and compliance expectations impacting brands, agencies, platforms, and creators in both Canada and the United States.

• Examining recent enforcement trends and regulatory priorities across the FTC, and Competition Bureau
• Assessing recent enforcement actions, consumer class actions, and their impact on the industry
• Identifying enforcement trends across Canada and the U.S.
• Exploring BBB National Programs training and certification initiatives for brands and creators

Influencer agreements are evolving as brands, agencies, and creators adapt to compensation models and deal structures in the creator economy. This session focuses on the commercial and financial framework of influencer partnerships.

• Exploring performance based, hybrid and affiliate compensation models
• Examining evolving NIL and sports-related agreement structures
• Understanding pricing models, benchmarks, and value attribution in influencer contracts
• Identifying key commercial risks in structuring influencer partnerships

As influencer campaigns expand across platforms, intellectual property plays a central role in determining how content is owned, controlled, and reused. This session focuses on IP rights governing creative output, brand assets, ownership, publicity rights, and content usage in influencer agreements.

• Clarifying ownership of content created by influencers and brands
• Understanding rights of publicity and personality rights
• Managing copyright and third-party content licensing risks
• Structuring content ownership, usage, and modification rights across platforms

Artificial intelligence is changing how influencer content is created, produced, and shared across platforms. As brands and creators increasingly use AI tools to enhance speed, scale, and creativity, new challenges are emerging around authenticity, consistency, and brand control.

This session explores how AI is reshaping the influencer marketing ecosystem and the evolving regulatory expectations around its use in advertising.

• Exploring how AI is transforming influencer content creation, production, and distribution
• Examining the rise of synthetic influencers and AI-assisted content creation
• Understanding risks to authenticity, brand consistency, and consumer trust
• Evaluating how brands are adapting governance for AI-driven content workflows
• Assessing how AI is reshaping the influencer marketing ecosystem

Clipping—the redistribution of short-form influencer content across platforms—is reshaping how content gains reach and visibility in the creator ecosystem. What began as fan-driven sharing and third-party reposting has evolved into a monetized distribution layer operating outside traditional brand–creator relationships.

This session explores the growing impact and risks of clipping on the influencer ecosystem.

• Defining clipping: what is it and how does it work?
• Clipping as a distribution channel across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube
• Emerging monetization models for redistributed content
• Leveraging platform algorithms and enforcement practices shaping content amplification
• Impacting band messaging, reach, and reputational control
• Understanding risks to brand control, messaging, and reputational management

Influencers are increasingly shaping the future of both brand building and entertainment, moving from content creators to full-scale media and business founders. This session explores both the opportunities and challenges of influencer-led ecosystems.

• Examining how influencers are redefining brand creation and entertainment models
• Highlighting successful influencer-led brands and media ventures
• Identifying challenges in scaling influencer-driven businesses
• Exploring tensions between authenticity, audience trust, and commercialization
• Assessing long-term sustainability of creator-led ecosystems

Join us for a case study of a hypothetical skincare product on how influencer campaigns can break down in practice, even when legal frameworks and approvals are in place. Participants will analyze real-world execution risks and governance gaps.

Hypothetical Case Study

A regulated skincare brand launches an influencer campaign promoting “clinically proven” results. As creators share content across platforms, inconsistent messaging and disclosure practices expose the company to consumer scrutiny, platform action, and regulatory attention.

• Identifying gaps between compliance frameworks and execution
• Recognizing breakdowns in messaging and disclosure consistency
• Understanding enforcement and platform risk triggers
• Strengthening oversight, monitoring, and governance processes through lessons learned