Association of Content Creators of Quebec | Can we supervise influencers?

Content creators, commonly called influencers, will now have their own association, the establishment of which could help restore a sometimes battered reputation. If the community welcomes the initiative, there is however a certain skepticism as to the real weight of such a grouping.

A drunken party on a plane where, in the midst of a pandemic, health rules are flouted, the promotion of a teeth whitening product banned in the country, the escapades of certain influencers from here and elsewhere have damaged the reputation of the young profession. In order to give it its credentials and better supervise those who practice it, the Association of Content Creators of Quebec (ACREA) will officially be created in May.

A guide to good practices, training on the mistakes not to make when attaching your name to a brand or on the rules to follow when it comes time to complete your tax return are all initiatives that the ACREA, which will see the light of day on the occasion of the second Influence Création Gala, wants to set up.

The objective is not to become the police of content creators, however, immediately states the co-founder and president of the board of directors, Maude Belval. “ [Mais] “It’s clear that we want to give creators the necessary tools so that they can make the right decisions regarding the collaborations they choose,” she explains on the phone.

An image to restore

Questioned several times about the various escapades that have tarnished the reputation of influencers, the representatives of the future association each time insisted that it was necessary to bring out the “positive”.

“A good content creator is someone who will have a positive social impact,” adds Anthony Tran, content creator and other co-founder of ACREA.

He also staged himself on board a Sunwing flight where we could read messages such as “Me with Sunwing to improve the image of influencers”, “No party, just hang out rest” or “Nothing illegal, just tea”.

These publications were a sort of counterbalance to the carrier’s famous flight to Mexico which, in the midst of a pandemic, had on board a group of influencers partying while ignoring several health rules then in force.

Anthony Tran has made a living from this profession for two years by sharing with his community (16,000 subscribers on Instagram and 280,000 on TikTok) his restaurant reviews or the preparations surrounding his upcoming wedding.

However, Léonie Pelletier, ex-influencer and founder of Oui L’agence, believes that anyone who wants to is a good creator.

Léonie Pelletier’s role is to hire content creators for her clients, which include Provigo, Maison Ladore and Jean-Paul Fortin.

Agent for around twenty content creators, Pierre-OIivier Beaudoin, founder of the Muze Influence agency – who has also been in the business – also believes that we must separate the wheat from the chaff. “We cannot compare my artists who earn a very good living and who also work on radio and television with those who have subscribers and who we see on Sunwing flights. We must distinguish the two. »

“We cannot compare a Marianne Plaisance [artiste visuelle, animatrice] who has millions of subscribers, who creates, to a girl [à bord du vol] from Sunwing whose name we don’t even know, he adds. There is a lot of education to be done. »

Once the association is well established, Anthony Tran believes that its representatives will not hesitate to publicly denounce situations where people improvise as influencers and make blunders.

An essential association?

Despite everything, both Léonie Pelletier and Pierre-Olivier Beaudoin express a certain skepticism regarding ACREA and the real powers that it will be able to exercise. “I give the runner the chance,” assures Mr. Beaudoin. For me, personally, it doesn’t change much. It will perhaps give tools to young people who are starting out to learn the rules of the trade. »

“I think the intention is good,” he adds. After that, you have to prove yourself. You don’t start an association on the corner of a table. »

The idea of ​​an association is good, also affirms Léonie Pelletier. “I think it’s a necessity. But I have a little reservation,” she says. M^me Pelletier actually questions the powers that ACREA could have.

She nevertheless believes that the profession must be respected, particularly with regard to remuneration. In this sense, it is agencies like hers that must play this role, according to her.

“There really are standards in the industry: based on the number of subscribers, the quality of content, the type of content (publication, story…). »

As a result, some influencers can make a living from their profession, earning $50,000, $100,000, $150,000 per year.

M^me Pelletier also vouches for the influencers she chooses for her clients. She makes sure to work with the right people and not to do business with people who have already made defamatory or racist comments, for example.

Define profession

If everyone agrees that the profession of content creator or influencer has yet to be defined, Camille Alloing, associate professor of public relations at UQAM and author of the study “Digital Affects and Click Workers”, believes that supervision is desirable and believes that ACREA could play this role.

“Before, it only relied on platforms. It was only Instagram or Facebook that decided what we could do or not, what we could sell or not. And there, we open the door. We have an entity with which to dialogue. Is it representative? Is it really relevant? It will be up to the community itself to decide. »

Professor Alloing sees more and more young people who aspire to one day become content creators, to make it their career.

“So, either we can still leave this profession completely in the hands of the platforms, the agencies, or we try to delimit it. »