Karnataka to Collaborate with Social Media Influencers to Promote Government Schemes

The Government of Karnataka has introduced the Karnataka Digital Advertising Guidelines 2024 to enhance the usage of digital media in public communication. Under this, it will approach social media influencers to advertise government schemes and programmes. 

The announcement was made by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) on August 28. The guidelines by the DIPR made it compulsory for all government departments, corporations, authorities, boards, local governing bodies, town municipalities, city corporations, etc. to follow them.

Apart from defining roles, the guidelines also laid down eligibility criteria for digital entities. The digital entities must be at least one year old and should have a continuous record of publishing content for at least one year. They must also adhere to other unspecified guidelines for content and ethical standards. 

It also makes registration with DIPR of search engines, video streaming, social media, OTT, fintech, app download platforms, websites, web ad aggregators, news aggregators, etc., mandatory to be eligible for digital advertising. 

The government will engage social media influencers and digital media entities to reach a broader audience, especially the internet-savvy public. The guidelines define a digital media entity as “any platform, such as web portals, news aggregators, web sites, etc., that uses hardware, software, and the internet to enable the exchange of information or communication, or delivery of services, goods, or commerce.” 

Additionally, to reach a larger public, the government has divided digital influencers into three different categories based on their follower count. The three kinds of influencers include; nanoinfluencers (one-five lakh followers), microinfluencers (Five-Ten lakh followers), and macroinfluencers (above 10 lakh followers). The influencers must meet the number of followers criteria on at least one of the social media platforms. 

The influencers will be performing diverse roles, from brand ambassadorships, sponsored posts, guest contributions, content collaborations, themed and hashtag campaigns, shoutouts, reviews, and event promotions.