A few things about KOL and KOC
KOL is a person with great influence in a field with a large number of followers on social networks and the media. They help increase brand recognition, spread product images, create trust, promote shopping behavior, especially among young people. Thanks to multi-channel activities such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube... KOL helps marketing campaigns spread strongly, increase interaction and communication efficiency.
KOCs are customers who truly experience products, services and share natural feelings, often affecting small, unprofessional communities like KOLs. They bring high reliability thanks to their "real person - real work", creating a strong word-of-mouth effect, low cost but high efficiency.
Thus, it can be seen that both KOL and KOC are factors that have a great influence on consumer behavior and modern marketing strategies, especially in the consumer goods, fashion, beauty industries... However, both of these forms have certain limitations.
Limitations of KOL and KOC
The significant limitations of famous KOLs often require high remuneration, not to mention other arising costs such as content production, contract management, etc. Meanwhile, KOCs, although the cost is lower, need to cooperate with a large number to create a big effect, leading to increased spread costs.
A KOL/KOC with many followers does not mean that the audience file is suitable for the products and services of the business, so it can lead to creating risks that are not suitable for the target audience and if not researched carefully, it can easily lead to budget waste.
KOCs have more realistic benefits, but if abused or created unnatural content, they can easily cause negative feelings. On the other hand, both KOL and LOC have difficulty controlling the content. Especially with famous KOLs, businesses have little control over the content, image and way of conveying messages.
This can have a negative impact if the message is misunderstood or not suitable for the brand. Another weakness is the difficulty in measuring specific effectiveness.
Therefore, a note to promote the effectiveness of KOL/KOC Marketing is to clearly identify the goal: Aiming to build brand recognition, increase interaction or boost sales? Choose the right person - the right file - at the right time. No need for the most famous person, but need for the most suitable person for the brand and target customer base. Encourage KOLs/KOCs to share real feelings and real experiences. Or in other words, create naturalness in the content.
It is necessary to include KOL and KOC in the management framework
When the State management agency proposed to include KOL and KOC in the management framework, many conflicting opinions appeared. Some people say that this will lose their "independence" or "creativity".
However, those concerns are unnecessary, because we need to understand that management does not mean free suffocation! Putting KOL and KOCs under management is not to control each content, but to establish standards to ensure that KOLs and KOCs operate properly and honestly, without harming the community or disrupting information. This has been done in developed countries such as the US, South Korea, EU, etc.
On the other hand, the nature of KOL and KOC is affected - so responsibility is needed. In society, especially modern society, once " influential people", their speech and actions are no longer personal matter. Having a management mechanism is necessary. Management is not only to "control", but also to protect KOLs and KOCs from legal risks and media crises. For example, a KOL promoting poor quality products causes health consequences for consumers - who is responsible? Without a clear management mechanism, KOLs themselves may suffer serious consequences.
Putting KOL and KOC into management also creates a healthy and fair competitive environment. KOL and KOC management helps establish a transparent "playground". Accordingly, those who work seriously and professionally will have an advantage, while those who follow tricks and distort information will be eliminated. This promotes the sustainable development of the Influencer industry.
Putting KOL and KOC into is just for orientation - not to "compile" content. Orientation does not mean that KOLs are required to only say "correct orientations", but to help them understand the line between personal creativity and social responsibility, thereby improving the quality of content, avoiding violations of laws or cultural standards.
On the other hand, if there is no management - it will leave long-term consequences. In fact, there have been many cases of KOL and KOC spreading fake news, promoting untruth, making offensive statements, causing negative impacts on society. Without a clear legal framework, the consequences will not only affect followers but also lose people's trust in the online environment. For example, some KOLs have been fined for advertising unsuitable functional foods. Many social media users were tricked into buying goods because they believed in the "over-the-counter" introductions of KOCs of unknown origin.
Thus, it can be said that KOL and KOC management is an inevitable trend to ensure a healthy, transparent and responsible digital media environment. Management is not to eliminate creative freedom, but to protect both influencers and followers, while improving the professionalism of this field.
