AUTOCONTROL’s Influencer Marketing Compliance Ecosystem – Winner of the Gold EASA Best Practice Award 2026
05 November 2026
The EASA Best Practice Awards, held every two years, celebrate innovation and excellence in the field of advertising self-regulation. Each week, we will shine a spotlight on a different winning entry. This week, we feature our Spanish SRO, AUTOCONTROL, which earned the Gold EASA Best Practice Award for its Influencer Marketing Compliance Ecosystem.
From AdEthics to a comprehensive influencer compliance ecosystem
Influencer marketing has become one of the fastest-growing advertising channels in Spain, creating new opportunities but also bringing compliance challenges. Influencers need knowledge and clear guidance on applicable rules, while advertisers and agencies need confidence that creators follow responsible practices. Addressing these challenges, AUTOCONTROL developed a comprehensive compliance ecosystem based on EASA’s AdEthics programme, combining training, certification and self-regulatory commitments.
Launched in June 2025, the programme provides influencers with practical and engaging training on the applicable legal framework and the Spanish Code of Conduct on Advertising through Influencers. Upon certification, influencers commit to adhering to the Code and accepting AUTOCONTROL’s monitoring activities and Advertising Jury decisions.
Bringing the advertising ecosystem together
Beyond individual training, AUTOCONTROL sought to encourage the adoption of the programme across the wider advertising industry. To achieve this, it established partnerships with leading sector associations representing advertisers, agencies and influencers, and created a Corporate Partners Programme.
In Spain, the programme also benefits from the support and collaboration of key industry associations in promoting the initiative, including the Spanish Advertisers Association (aea), IAB Spain, the Association of Digital Influence Professionals in Spain (APIDE), the Association of Communication Companies (FEDE) and the Spanish Creators Union (UEC).
Through this initiative, advertisers, agencies, platforms and technology providers actively promote certification among influencers. The programme has received support from more than 40 companies, including L’Oréal Groupe, Dentsu, Google, Meta and Skeepers. Information on certified influencers has also been integrated into three major influencer databases used by advertisers in the Spanish market.
Measurable results in the first year
Within its first year, the programme certified more than 6,000 influencers, with nearly 7,000 enrolled. In addition, 88 companies adhered to the Influencers Code of Conduct, while more than 25 new members related to influencer marketing joined AUTOCONTROL. The training course received an average rating of 9.5 out of 10 from certified influencers.
The initiative has also strengthened collaboration across the advertising ecosystem and attracted support from industry associations and public authorities. Implementation experience and key success factors have already been shared with 12 self-regulatory organisations and beyond to SROs operating in the United States of America, Chile, India, and Brazil, to support the development of similar programmes.
By combining education, certification, monitoring and industry-wide collaboration, AUTOCONTROL has developed a model that goes beyond awareness-raising to strengthen compliance and promote responsible practices across the influencer marketing ecosystem.
