The Platform Bringing ‘Presidential’ Vetting to Influencer Marketing

Fabulate says its new AI-powered platform will set a new standard for influencer marketing efficiency and accuracy, providing “presidential-level” background checks on influencers.

Developed by the Australian martech company, SparQ will be a tool for automated content screening and audience analysis, with an ability to instantly vet content across multiple platforms and formats.

According to Fabulate, this will make it easier than ever for brands to ensure content partnerships align with their brand safety standards.

Fabulate’s chief product and strategy officer, Nathan Powell, says SparQ was developed in response to clients’ growing need for exhaustive yet efficient influencer vetting.

“Clients wanted the kind of background checks you’d expect for a head of state — extensive and detailed — but we were finding that the manual processes they relied on were slow and error-prone,” Nathan told LBB. 

“SparQ scans influencers’ entire content histories, across all formats — text, video, images, and audio — and flags any potential risks, based on each brand’s specific definition of what constitutes 'safe'.”

SparQ differentiates itself through its scale and deep integration into Fabulate’s broader influencer marketing ecosystem. Brands can use the platform to scan up to 100 creators simultaneously, a feature that vastly reduces the time needed to vet influencers.

Its integration with Fabulate’s existing CRM tools — the “Salesforce for influencers,” as Nathan described it — means that insights gained from SparQ can be shared and actioned across an organisation in real-time.

"Until now, influencer vetting has been a manual, time-consuming process,” Nathan added.

“Brands would often spend weeks trying to compile data, only to end up with Excel spreadsheets that were far from reliable, whereas, with SparQ, brands can automate that process, allowing them to focus on the decision-making rather than the data-gathering."

SparQ’s audience overlap analysis could prove a genuine game-changer for brands looking to extend their reach while avoiding wasted spend. The tool compares follower lists from up to 100 creators, allowing brands to identify overlapping audiences and maximise unique reach.

This feature brings a metric to influencer marketing that has long been standard in traditional media: reach and frequency.

“As more brands move their budgets from TV into influencer marketing, these metrics are becoming increasingly important,” Nathan said.

“SparQ is designed to give brands the kind of audience insights they need to make smart decisions about where to invest their ad dollars.”

Brands can set their own regional definitions of brand safety, ensuring that SparQ can adapt to the nuances of local advertising standards and cultural sensitivities.

Supporting 39 languages at launch, with plans to increase that number to 250 by next year, the tool is positioned for use across international markets. Brands can define the parameters around brand safety, ensuring that SparQ can adapt to the nuances of local advertising standards and cultural sensitivities.

“Even though SparQ was born in Australia, it’s built to be a global tool,” Nathan said.

“We wanted to ensure that no matter where a brand operates, they can feel confident that their influencer content aligns with local standards and expectations.”

SparQ also has the potential for future use by creators themselves. Nathan envisions a world where influencers can proactively use SparQ to screen their own content before pitching to brands.

“It’s still early days, but we’re excited about what this feature could unlock,” Nathan said.

“It will allow creators to clean up their content libraries and ensure they meet brand requirements, potentially speeding up the collaboration process.”

Fabulate is positioning SparQ as the next step in the industry's evolution. Its SaaS pricing model is flexible, allowing brands to tailor their subscription based on the number of brand safety checks they anticipate performing over 12 months. This ensures that whether a brand is vetting a handful of influencers or hundreds, SparQ can scale to meet its needs.

While SparQ is currently focused on pre-campaign planning, Fabulate has plans to expand the platform’s capabilities to cover campaign performance and analytics, providing brands with even deeper insights into the effectiveness of their influencer partnerships.

“We’re not just solving a problem,” Nathan said. “We’re setting a new standard.”