DAC Beachcroft advises Saulderson Media as influencer marketing sees steep growth during lockdown

Published 30 junio 2020

Lawyers from DAC Beachcroft’s Technology practice are advising Saulderson Media, one of the UK’s leading influencer marketing agencies. The company was founded by Suhit Amin – an award-winning young entrepreneur – and now represents some of the world's top pro-gamers, as well as a host of the biggest influencers and online personalities across a variety of platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Twitch and Instagram.

Although the coronavirus lockdown has limited where and when marketers can reach their target customers, it has also seen consumers spend more time on social media than before. As a result, Saulderson’s influencer marketing business has seen rapid growth, especially in the esports and home entertainment sectors. Some of the agency’s managed talent have recently hit impressive engagement milestones, including one whose follower count exceeds one million on TikTok alone.

DAC Beachcroft has been supporting Saulderson from an early stage on a range of matters, most recently in helping to ensure that they have a watertight contractual framework in place with both individual influencers and global brands alike. Although similar to celebrity sponsorship agreements, influencer co-operation agreements often include nuanced intellectual property and reputational provisions, due to the influencer’s important role in creating the media. It is also important to strike the right balance when aligning the influencer’s unique personality with the brand’s desired messaging, and to ensure compliance with advertising standards.

Tim Ryan, Head of the DAC Beachcroft Technology team, said, "Given the meteoric rise of influencer marketing and online endorsements, it is essential for both brands and content creators to protect their intellectual property and reputations, whilst expanding their digital footprint – being alive to IP and related contractual issues will save those involved headaches down the line."

Suhit Amin, founder of Saulderson Media, said, "In this digital age we see influencers evolving from being just individuals who create content, to full multi-media brands. It is more important than ever for their interests to be aligned legally, to ensure they can both protect their content, and further their careers. DAC Beachcroft has been a massive help for my agency in ensuring that our brand, together with the talent we represent and the companies we run campaigns for, are all suitably protected. They’ve supported my team and I for a very long time and we couldn’t have achieved many important milestones without their support.”