Lexicon > Influencers (Bad Buzz)
IP Lexicon

Influencers (Bad Buzz)

The word ” influencer ” entered the French dictionary in 2017. The influencer is the one who ” influences the opinion, the consumption by his audience on social networks ” (dictionary Le Robert).

This term is the result of a phenomenon that goes back to the end of the 1990s / beginning of the 2000s in France, when access to the Internet became more democratic and the first social networks have appeared (one of the first being the blog, a website on which the blogger publishes content that can be commented on by users).

These platforms have grown and multiplied considerably since then: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, TikTok…

This has exponentially facilitated the creation and publication of new content that is immediately and freely accessible to a very large audience.

The main attraction of this new content lies in the fact that the author expresses his or her personal opinion, without following a specific editorial line, in terms that are simple and accessible to all audiences.

Thus, Internet users identify more easily with the author of the content, who becomes a true source of information and inspiration.

From now on, all “content creators” who have a certain audience are called ” influencers “.

The most famous influencers manage to federate audiences of several million subscribers and thus play a major role in the promotion and highlighting of companies.

They have therefore naturally become real showcases for the brands, so much so that partnerships collaborations and even muse contracts are regularly concluded between the brands and influencers solicited to promote various product(s) and/or service(s ) according to the targeted community (beauty products, fashion accessories, restaurants, clothing lines etc.).

These various contracts are generally strictly regulated and contain various provisions to ensure respect for the brand’s image, including

  • Guidelines as to the speeches that will be held by the influencer;
  • Indications as to which products should be promoted by the influencer to his community of subscribers (called ” followers”) and under what conditions (via publications and/or videos, at what frequency, etc.);
  • Prohibition of negative brand statements;
  • A ban on working for competing brands for a specified period of time.

That said, while brands most often benefit from the power of influencers, they also regularly suffer from that same power in cases where they are the subject of negative comments.

This is particularly the case for the phenomenon known as the ” bad buzz “, i.e. a negative comment that is very quickly and widely relayed on the Internet, leading to a real “bad buzz” phenomenon. uncontrollable negative “word of mouth “, or worse, of movements of ” boycotts “, i.e. messages calling on consumers to avoid the products completely product(s) and/or service(s) of a brand.

This negative communication relayed via the media is likely to cause the consumer to lose confidence in the brand, and can have disastrous consequences on the life of a company.

In cases where the brand is the victim of comments or publications that exceed the freedom of expression and that could engage the responsibility of the influencer under the denigration, the defamation, or even of the In order to protect against counterfeiting, there are several legal tools available to try to obtain the removal of the litigious content and to obtain compensation for the damage caused.

Point figures

According to a study conducted in October 2021 by REECH, an agency specialized in influence marketing, 86% of the brands surveyed recognize that ” influence” is an effective marketing lever (source: REECH).

Point on the proof of the franchise agreement

According to a study conducted in October 2021 by REECH, an agency specialized in influence marketing, 86% of the brands surveyed recognize that ” influence” is an effective marketing lever (source: REECH).

The Bouchara firm assists you in particular in :

  • Negotiation and formalization of partnership, collaboration or muse contracts between brands and influencers;
  • The implementation of a defense strategy in case of brand infringement on the Internet and on social networks;
  • Monitoring your brands on the Internet.