The Karnataka government has decided to engage social media influencers and other digital media entities to promote its schemes and programmes.
The Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) rolled-out Karnataka Digital Advertising Guidelines-2024, opening the door for digital media entities to get government advertisements.
Social media influencers have been divided into three categories based on the count of their followers on at least one platform: nano influencers (1 lakh to 5 lakh followers), micro influencers (5 lakh to 10 lakh followers) and macro influencers (above 10 lakh followers).
Influencers will be engaged for brand ambassadorships, sponsored posts, guest contributions, content collaborations, themed and hashtag campaigns, shoutouts, reviews and event promotions.
Eligible digital media entities such and influencers have to be registered with the DIPR. These include video-streaming platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, search engines like Google, social media platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and WhatsApp.
OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, fintech platforms such as Paytm, PhonePe and GPay and app download platforms too are eligible. So are in-app advertising (apps with more than 1 lakh downloads on Google Play or the Apple App Store), websites/web portals/web ads aggregators, news aggregators, call centres and IVRS (agencies offering interactive voice response systems), chatbot and RCS providers.
'Digital advertising surpasses traditional media in reach'
DIPR plans to leverage digital advertising to connect government schemes with the internet-savvy public. "The existing traditional media advertising policy is inadequate for handling the distinct dynamics of digital advertising," it said.
With the rise of the internet, personal computers, smart TVs, smartphones, and social media, digital advertising now surpasses traditional media in reach. Digital advertising has become a core component of advertising strategies for governments and corporations worldwide due to its broader and more targeted reach, it said.
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"All digital advertising requirements of departments, corporations, authorities, boards, local governing bodies, town municipalities, city corporations, etc., must be mandatorily executed through the DIPR in accordance with these guidelines,” it said.
A digital media entity is any online platform which uses the internet for communication, services, or commerce. Digital advertising includes ads distributed via internet-connected devices, with formats spanning video streaming, search engines, social media, OTT, fintech, in-app, and news media ads.
Influencer marketing involves partnering with social media figures to promote products, and news aggregators collect content from various sources, it said.
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