The decision comes at a time when the UK is considering a digitally altered body image bill.
Ogilvy has announced that it will no longer work with influencers who distort or retouch their bodies or faces for brand campaigns.
According to The Drum, the decision is an attempt by the agency to tackle the “systemic” harm to mental health caused by social media and will apply across all parts of the Ogilvy UK group.
“Influencer marketing was supposed to be the authentic side of marketing, but now it produces staged content that is harmful to anyone looking at social media,” Ogilvy chief influencer Rahul Titus said in an interview with the portal.
The agency’s decision comes as the UK government is considering a digitally altered body image bill, which will require an influencer to flag when content is edited.
“We have a duty to take care, as marketers, agencies and brands, of the next generation of people that they don’t grow up with the same issues that we’re seeing right now,” says Titus.
According to The Drum, Ogilvy will implement the policy in two phases. Starting next month, Titus’ team will consult with brands and influencers on the policy and, in May, will implement the ban.
The agency’s head of influence has set a deadline of until December for the complete end of editing all sponsored or paid content on influencer activations.
“It’s easy for us to sit here and say, ‘There’s a systemic problem, so we’re not going to work with these types of influencers,’ but that’s not the solution and it won’t make the change we want to see. So let’s take the time and consult with our customers and put the plan into action,” Titus explained.
