Chiara Ferragni, the sentence has already taken place and it is an even worse blow than expected. “One year and six months for fraud”.
The recent news of a conviction shook the image of the famous digital entrepreneurrevealing a reality far more serious than many could have imagined.
Chiara Ferragni has already been involved in a complex financial case involving some of her commercial activities. The investigation, which lasted several months, brought to light questionable business practices justified as miscommunication.
The news of this conviction had uit was immediately echoed on social media and in the main media outlets. Many followers of Chiara Ferragni, accustomed to seeing her as an icon of success and transparency, were dismayed.
This conviction represents a serious blow not only to Chiara Ferragni’s public image, but also to her commercial empire. Companies associated with her name could face significant backlash, with possible reputational repercussions.
Chiara Ferragni and the reputational damage
Chiara Ferragni, one of the most well-known Italian influencers, was recently hit by reputational damage that could mark her for a long time. Selvaggia Lucarelli, journalist and pungent critic, explained how success on social media is often evanescentespecially when it comes to situations that are beyond the protagonist’s control.
Chiara Ferragni’s problem began when an issue of misleading advertising linked to a charity campaign emerged. The Competition and Market Authority (AGCM), commonly known as Antitrust, imposed a fine which definitively established that the advertising in question was misleading. The Antitrust condemnation was particularly serious, because it declared that Chiara Ferragni would have used charity to wash her image, an act of pure opportunism.
A case of false advertising and opportunism
According to Selvaggia Lucarelli, Ferragni’s crisis is not just a question of communication errors, but it represents a loss of credibility that could and should have been managed better from the beginning. “The success that arises on social media is evanescent,” Lucarelli said, underlining how the lack of control over what happened next led to the current situation. “Chiara should have known how to control the situation from the beginning,” he added.
If a fraud trial were to open, the situation could worsen further. The misleading advertising was recognized, implying that Chiara Ferragni deceived the public. The reputational damage suffered by Chiara Ferragni it is much more serious than a six-month criminal sentence for fraud, as highlighted by Lucarelli. Loss of public trust and the stigma of false advertising can have devastating effects on the career of an influencer, whose credibility and authenticity are critical to success. Somehow it seems like that “the condemnation has already occurred”.
