ANSMM, declining membership and reports to the Antitrust and Privacy Guarantor

It should have “enhance the category of social media managers”, “promote a code of ethics” and spread “a new digital morality throughout the country”.

A year after its establishment, however, it has to deal with a decline in members and some reports to the competent authorities.

This is what happened to the National Association of Social Media Managers founded and led by Riccardo Pirrone, which presented itself as an initiative to enhance the role of social media managers in Italy and instead ended up in the crosshairs for various doubts about the management of activities and the functioning of the organization.

It was January 2024, when the ANSMM – during a presentation held in the Sala Zuccari of the Senate, in the presence of the vice president at Palazzo Madama, Mariolina Castellone – made its public debut, announcing its ambitious goals to the world. A year later, according to what was reported by some members and reported by various journalistic sources, the initiatives promoted are far from having achieved the desired results. And, in the meantime, the first protests have arrived.  

ANSMM, MIMIT starts checks on the use of logos

On September 27, the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, through its press office chief Giuseppe Stamegna, declared that it had started a surveillance activity towards the ANSMM. According to what was reported by the journalist Germano Milite on You-ng, (https://you-ng.it/2024/09/27/il-mimit-smentisce-riccardo-pirrone-riscontrate-irregolarita-sullansmm/) MIMIT reportedly found some irregularities, including the unauthorized use of the ministerial logo, lack of information regarding the association’s training activities and probable uncommunicated statutory changes.

In parallel, and again last September, it was learned that the Ministry of Education had also temporarily suspended a course promoted by the company KirWeb Srl, attributable to the same Riccardo Pirrone, after a much-discussed advertising campaign (“Do not buy other courses for social media managers”) which, again according to journalistic sources, had used the Ministry’s logo without authorization and had overused the term “certified”. Paolo Dimalio of Fatto Quotidiano wrote all the details, in an article in which it is reported that the echoes of this quarrel (https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2024/10/04/due-esposti-ai-garanti-i-dubbi-del-ministero-e-il-logo-contestato-le-grane-del-social-media-manager-di-taffo-qualcuno-mi-fa-la-guerra/7716092/) they even arrived in the classrooms of La Sapienza University where the professor Charles Nardello, a professor of Digital Marketing, questioned the ethical aspects of the advertising campaign at issue: «Pirrone presides over a professional association with an ethical code – Nardello reasoned – therefore with curiosity and with the critical spirit of a professor I wonder if he considers an advertisement of that type to be coherent, to promote courses while discouraging enrollment in those of others». 

For his part, in a statement given to Il Fatto Quotidiano, Riccardo Pirrone stated that he was working to resolve any critical issues, maintaining that the ANSMM and himself were the object of a campaign aimed at “discrediting them”.

Reports to the AGCM and the Privacy Guarantor

According to an investigation by Beatrice Elerdini for You-ng, some members reported ANSMM to the Competition and Market Authority (AGCM), expressing doubts about possible unfair commercial practices, including:
• Potentially misleading commercial communications;
• Not always clear statements on the number of members;
• Promotional prices that may not have been applied transparently.

according to Elerdini’s investigation, (https://you-ng.it/2024/09/18/pirrone-ed-ansmn-segnalati-allagcm/) some members have expressed concerns about the use of their personal data, reporting that they had received unsolicited commercial communications. In an official communication, the ANSMM acknowledged the sending of “irrelevant communications” due to a “technical error”. It will be up to the Privacy Guarantor to investigate the matter further.

Some members, in relation to these issues, have asked for the resignation of the president Riccardo Pirrone and of the Board of Directors, citing possible conflicts of interest between the ANSMM and the training company KirWeb.

According to the documentation provided by one of the signatories of the report to the AGCM, a certificate issued by the company KirWeb following a social refresher course reported that the student had successfully completed the course, although the duration of the course was limited (about half an hour) and no intermediate verification of the actual use of the contents was foreseen. The document was accompanied by logos of ISO, Accredia and other certifications.

For many social media managers, the 2 hours of annual updates required are insufficient. However, the association continues to defend its model.

Drop in subscribers, what happened?

She dealt with Pirrone and the ANSMM also the section Dossier di Rome Today, noting that more than a year after the presentation of the code of ethics, a Board of Arbiters for the management of internal reports has not yet been appointed. The code of ethics, in this case, requires particular attention to transparency, conflict of interest and correct data management. But always according to Poltronieri’s dossier (https://www.romatoday.it/dossier/potere/social-media-manager-pirrone-associazione.html There are also other objectives that, although announced in the Senate in January of a year ago, have not yet been achieved.

Doubts have also emerged about the actual number of members. In January 2024, the association declared it had about 2.000 members, a figure later corrected to 1.650. Currently, according to the official website of the ANSMM, the members are 487, highlighting a significant reduction. Some observers in the sector speculate that the decline may be linked to criticisms that have emerged about the management of the association.

Conflict of interest, real or presumed?

The idea behind the campaign “The social media manager is a professional”, promoted by ANSMM, was initially received with interest, registering around 700 members in the first few days, as announced by Riccardo Pirrone. However, initially there were no specific access requirements, and this would have raised doubts among some professionals in the sector, who feared a possible impact on the perception of the figure of the social media manager. Subsequently, selection criteria were introduced, but some reports would have highlighted the need for more specific checks.

Observers in the sector, as well as journalists who wrote the investigations, have commented on the composition of the ANSMM board of directors, which includes several professionals linked to the Kirweb company and its training platform. The members include Renato Scattarella, Tania Varone, Alberta Antonucci and, subsequently, Giuseppe Modena, who was appointed head of coordination of the regional offices.

The association’s code of ethics, however, requires reporting any conflicts of interest and abstaining from activities potentially in conflict with the interests of ANSMM. Despite the reports, no one has taken a step back so far.