Yet, amid this chaos, businesses appear surprisingly as beacons of stability. According to a recent 2024 study by Odoxa, 56% of French people now believe that businesses are the most capable of driving change. This expectation places corporate leaders in a key position: they are seen both as agents of transformation and as guiding figures for a society searching for direction.

However, this trust appears betrayed by a disconnect between business leaders’ concerns and public opinion. In fact, 60% of corporate leaders’ social media posts focus on environmental issues. While this topic is undeniably important, it ranks only ninth among the issues most discussed by the French public. Instead, online debates revolve around pressing topics such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the fight against the far right, and the taxation of superprofits.

So why, in an era that demands clear commitments to build trust, does the communication from business leaders seem to lack resonance?

Breaking free from corporate imperatives

Despite what is often suggested on social media, businesses are far from being universally despised. However, the way corporate leaders communicate online amplifies the perception of detachment. Their messages, often highly conventional, appear carefully crafted to align with institutional communication constraints or regulatory requirements.

A staggering 98% of executives’ posts adopt a positive, even overly positive tone, avoiding any strong stances. But this excessive optimism makes their statements feel hollow, stripping them of the impact needed to foster genuine engagement. In a world craving authenticity and sincere commitment, such sanitized messaging fails to connect.

Giving leaders back their voice by listening

A company, through the voice of its leader, must take action in response to civil society’s demands. So how can business leaders reinvent themselves to transcend corporate constraints and truly engage with contemporary concerns?

First, by addressing public expectations beyond economic or regulatory needs. French citizens want businesses to make real commitments, not just in response to financial imperatives. This trust places a greater responsibility on corporate leaders to demonstrate tangible actions that benefit society, whether to external audiences such as customers, partners, and civil society, or internal ones such as employees, who increasingly seek purpose-driven workplaces.

Second, by engaging in dialogue with communities. Communication is not just about broadcasting information in a one-way, top-down manner. Platforms like LinkedIn offer a unique opportunity to create authentic, constructive exchanges with various communities. Engaging in conversations within a company’s digital ecosystem helps leaders strengthen their role in society, showing that they respond to community expectations rather than simply following media-driven timelines.

Third, by choosing the right battles. No company can solve all the world’s problems, and no leader should attempt to comment on every issue. Instead, leaders should carefully select causes aligned with their company’s mission and champion them with clarity, relevance, and true engagement. A leader’s activism should be identifiable and legitimate, focused on issues where their voice and company can make a tangible impact.

The end of corporate-speak for business leaders

The era of corporate-style communication from executives is over. In a world where expectations for businesses have never been higher, leaders have a historic opportunity: to become true agents of change, aligned with public aspirations and fostering meaningful dialogue. We must not let this opportunity slip away.

Edouard Fillias, CEO of JIN agency, and Anne Le Brouster, Managing Director of the Leadership team at JIN

L’article Talking Without Meaning: Putting an End to Empty Corporate Speak from Executives est apparu en premier sur JIN, Agency in Europe (France, UK, Germany...).

The End of the Dubai El Dorado

Reality TV influencers have long been a subject of fascination and controversy. Advertisers’ former darlings for easily ensuring visibility and success for their products are now distancing themselves from the glitz and glamour. « Booba killed our business », »One day, they won’t call you anymore ». This is partly due to some reality TV influencers (not all can be painted with the same brush) accepting dubious partnerships, such as drop-shipping, online betting, cosmetic surgery, financial products, etc. And their communities struggling to identify with their extravagant Dubai lifestyles. In the end a loss of their famous power of influence.

However, labeling reality TV influencers as the sole representatives of influence is an oversimplification of this ecosystem. Among French influencers, those from reality TV form a minority in terms of volume. In France, over 80% of content creators have communities of fewer than 50,000 subscribers. Their engagement rate, i.e., the level and quality of interactions with their community compared to their content, often surpasses that of influencers with more subscribers.

This engagement arises from the evolving relationships that bond these communities with their content creators. It’s no longer just about following someone for their image, style, or news, as was the case with reality TV influencers. Content creators gain influence through a trust-based relationship built on genuine shared passions and tangible added value. The subjects of these passions have significantly expanded in recent years, encompassing gastronomy, humor, art, entrepreneurship, and ecological issues.

Generation Z: The Driving Force of Change

Young creators play a pivotal role in this expansion. Gen Z, connected and creative, prioritizes authenticity. Nevertheless, they have not distanced themselves from influencers. According to a 2023 study by Appinio and JIN, more than half of young people follow influencers daily, if not multiple times a day. We are witnessing a resurgence of the « community » concept, with tighter-knit groups than ever.

Young influencers fully integrate into their communities’ conversations and develop various ways to stay close to their subscribers, including discussion channels, a trend widely adopted on Instagram.

Therefore, brands and consultancy agencies have a significant interest in understanding these communities and collaborating with content creators to provide authentic and valuable solutions. While the purchasing power of this age group is less, as Gen Z prioritizes their desires and wishes, brands are turning to loyalty, a lever driven by the community and the influencer who unites it.

In the end, one in two young people claims to have purchased a product based on an influencer’s recommendations. Brands and agencies must understand and integrate these community movements because they are becoming the norm for everyone, especially with Digital Moms in early childhood. The era of reality TV influencers is fading in favor of authentic content creators who share common passions, and brands stand to gain by prioritizing them.

Regulation: An Opportunity for Brands to Restore Trust

Faced with this crisis of trust, governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are taking action. In France, the first law aimed at combating abuses and scams and regulating the activities of influencers on social media was passed before the summer. This regulation marks a crucial first step in restoring trust in the world of influencers.

Could we go even further? Of course, regulation, labels, and recent certifications are just the initial building blocks of the necessary framework for responsible influence. Many issues remain unaddressed: What protection is there for children visible on the accounts of influencer parents? How can influencers be made aware of the ecological impact of their recommendations and mobilized around ecological transition issues? How can the relationship between brands, agencies, and influencers be improved?

The responsibility of the influence sector will be realized through strong cooperation among all stakeholders, or it won’t happen.

L’article Influence Responsible: Gen Z Accelerates Changes, and Brands Must Adapt Quickly! est apparu en premier sur JIN, Agency in Europe (France, UK, Germany...).

« With the law regulating commercial influence, which strengthens the legal responsibility of brands and organizations in their business collaborations with influencers, these first e-labels ‘Responsible Influence Advisory Agency’ come at the right time. Advisory agencies will be able to turn their commitments into actions, and brands will benefit from an indicator to select their partners more effectively to carry out, together, increasingly responsible influence campaigns, » commented Pascale Azria, administrator and leader of the SCRP’s influence committee.

With the law regulating commercial influence, which reinforces the legal responsibility of brands and organizations in their commercial collaborations with influencers, these initial e-labels ‘Responsible Influence Advisory Agency’ arrive at the right moment. Advisory agencies will be able to translate their commitments into actions, and brands will benefit from an indicator to select their partners more effectively in order to jointly carry out increasingly responsible influencer campaigns, » commented Pascale Azria, administrator and leader of the SCRP’s influence committee.

The SCRP initiated this first e-label specifically tailored to advisory agencies, in line with its efforts to promote responsible practices. This aligns with the Charter for Relations with Influencers it signed in 2020, which established stringent requirements for consulting, transparency, integrity, compliance, and measurement. Additionally, the creation of the ‘Brand-Influencer Relations’ training in 2023, in collaboration with the AACC, reflects the SCRP’s commitment to responsible influence.

To obtain it, candidate agencies complete a questionnaire based on the issues outlined in the Charter for Relations with Influencers, aligned with the requirements of both the law regulating commercial influence and the ethical recommendations of the ARPP. The questionnaire consists of 6 questions structured around the three audiences addressed by advisory agencies in their influencer relations practices: internal, influencers, and their client companies/organizations. For each criterion, they provide evidence justifying their responses, which are then audited by AFNOR Certification. Depending on their responses, they may or may not meet the minimum level required for certification. Three levels are distinguished: 1 star, engaged level, 2 stars, confirmed level, and 3 stars, expert level.

Pioneers of responsible influence, these first 6 certified agencies have been acknowledged for formalizing their commitment through the implementation of ethical and transparent practices :

• CHANGE
• JIN
• KINGCOM
• OGILVY
• WELLCOM
• WOÔ

A second certification session will be opened starting in September and will be accessible to SCRP members, joined by members of the AACC.

L’article JIN is one of the first 6 agencies to receive the e-label « Responsible Influence Advisory Agency » awarded by AFNOR est apparu en premier sur JIN, Agency in Europe (France, UK, Germany...).