Finnish ad industry publishes guidance on communicating about the Russia-Ukraine war

Marketing Finland, along with local agencies specialising in influencer marketing PING Helsinki, Indieplace, Content Corner, Asennemedia, Hypement and the Sponsorship & Events Association (SPOT), have launched guidance to help influencers and other entities in Finland and beyond communicate responsibly and avoid spreading disinformation about the Russia-Ukraine war.

This is in response to concerns around the increasing levels of disinformation and racism related to the conflict that young people have been especially exposed to on social media. This includes the distribution of fake news and fake history, cyber attacks, trolling and racist content.

“Although the role of the individual in the big picture seems very small, every post, show of solidarity and assistance is significant… Each of us has the power and responsibility for how this situation is communicated. While what is going on upsets us all, it is pointless to incite sorrow and panic. It is even more important to share reliable information or at least direct people to reliable information”, Marketing Finland said.

The guidance for influencers includes the following 13 tips:

1. Think for three seconds before sharing anything.
2. Read through the entire content before sharing it.
3. Do not share content until you are sure it's not fake news.
4. Recognise what is a fact and what is an opinion.
5. If you share or make a claim, fact-check it.
6. Make sure the pictures and videos you are sharing are real and related to the content.
7. Use only reliable sources and disclose your sources.
8. If you accidentally post false information, correct it immediately.
9. Recognise your own prejudices.
10. Don’t publish racist content or encourage hate speech.
11. If you have a young audience, don’t share violent images.
12. When sharing pictures and videos, make sure that they don't violate people’s privacy or humiliate innocent people.
13. Don’t get triggered by trolls, focus on good content and support it by commenting.

Marketing Finland has communicated this with their members while the influencer marketing agencies have shared with the influencers they’re working with. Industry associations in Italy, Latvia and Portugal have also adapted and shared the guidance with their members.

The association has also created a website with relevant updates, resources and tips on how people and companies can help.

For more information, contact Marketing Finland.