Over the last four years, there has been an increasing number of complaints about the posts of influencers who do not communicate their collaboration with brands transparently. Last year, there were 1,824 complaints about the content posted primarily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which is 192 percent more than in 2012.
A lot of dust was raised by the case on Instagram, when the makeup blogger Sheikbeauty recommended and promoted herbal Flat Tummy Tea in her posts. The British self-regulatory organization ASA, which advocates advertising standards, has found that in this case there was a violation of policies on advertising, sales promotion and direct market communication.
A similar example took place in June 2015, when the reality show star and fashion designer Millie Mackintosh failed to transparently communicate her collaboration with the Britvic beverage producer on Instagram.
The ASA Executive Director, Guy Parker, believes that there are many content that are actually ads but are not marked as such, and most of them are on social networks.
“We are talking a lot about the transparency of market communication, even when it comes to collaboration of brands with influencers. We are dealing with violations of rules, we provide support, we offer tips for brands and influencers so they would know in the future how to publish content based on mutual cooperation in an appropriate way.”
Daniel Knapp, a researcher at IHS analytics company, said: “Consumers are saturated with traditional forms of advertising, such as TV ads, internet banners or outdoor posters. For greater penetration in a saturated advertising space, advertisers push for alternative and more reliable ways of communicating their products and services. Nevertheless, many influencers are controlled by specialized agencies, brands also work with individuals who do not comply with the same standards and codes of ethics as television and radio stations.”
In the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority), where they take care of strengthening business competition and preventing and diminishing anti-competitive practices, they say: “The point is that anyone who gets money to promote products online needs to state it clearly. Otherwise, this is harmful for the consumers and other companies that abide by the rules.”
