In Italy even influencers have their union

Youtubers, podcasters, streamers, instagrammers, there are for all tastes and for all social networks, they multiply like mushrooms on every platform and are often the cause of controversy, but above all they constitute a 280 million euro market that has already made its voice heard in Parliament in 2021. Now, they are also protected by a trade union: their name is Assoinfluencer, the first Italian trade association, included in the list of Professional Associations of the Ministry of Economic Development, which aims to represent and protect the interests of over 350 thousand influencers and content creators.

A professional category capable of attracting investments in various sectors, which in Italy, according to DeRev Lab data, saw a 15% increase in 2021. Influencer marketing is constantly on the rise, but it is an area of the digital economy not yet regulated by specific legislation in terms of both tax and remuneration, and this is where the union comes in. Assoinfluencer was created to support, regulate, and legally protect a professional category that is constantly changing, from an idea of lawyers Jacopo Ierussi and Valentina Salonia.

«That of the influencer is a new figure that changes as quickly as the media world - Jacopo Ierussi, founder and president of Assoinfluencer, explains to Il Giornale - creators can be artists and entrepreneurs, athletes and popularisers, but they are always professionals, capable of producing value through specific skills and tools. And as professionals, in a market that is still unregulated, what has been missing until now is exactly a reality that would protect their rights and interests: Assoinfluencer was born precisely to respond to this need.»