QBE North America has expanded its media liability coverage with a product aimed at addressing risks linked to influencer marketing.
The new offering, branded as “The Influencer by QBE”, provides protection for companies and their influencers against liabilities arising from influencer-generated content.
The insurer said the product is intended to close a gap in the market by mitigating the potential legal exposures brands face when working with social media personalities to promote goods and services. Such risks can include the inadvertent use of unlicensed materials or breaches of advertising and intellectual property laws.
To help reduce these exposures, The Influencer by QBE incorporates a short educational module that influencers must complete before joining a company’s program. The module includes an instructional video covering key areas of media law, such as copyright, trademark, defamation and rights of publicity, along with advertising best practices. Once the training is completed and verified, influencers are officially added to the company’s coverage.
The policy is designed to protect both the brand and the influencer from claims linked to the influencer’s promotional activities.
Chris Cooper, senior vice president and US head of media and professions at QBE North America, said the solution is intended to provide a structured, proactive approach to managing the legal risks inherent in influencer partnerships.
Media liability insurance in the US is typically purchased by publishers, broadcasters, advertisers and other content producers to cover legal costs and damages from claims over published material. These policies, often written on a claims-made basis, can be tailored to include online, broadcast and print content but do not always address the unique risks of influencer marketing.
Many companies lack a standardized process for ensuring influencers understand relevant legal frameworks. Cooper noted that large organizations often work with numerous influencers across multiple campaigns each year, increasing the likelihood of content-related disputes.
By embedding a compliance and training element into the insurance process, QBE said it aims to help brands manage reputational and financial exposures more effectively.
