ASA issues fresh warning to social media influencers who flout ad rules

By Becky Bargh | Published: 18-Mar-2021

Advertising watchdog threatens to name and shame non-compliant brands and influencers after report reveals widespread breaching

The UKā€™s advertising watchdog has warned social media stars that they could be put ā€˜on noticeā€™ if they flout advertising rules online.

The crackdown comes after a report by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found fewer than expected influencers were sticking to advertising regulations.

The research into 122 UK-based influencers assessing Instagram Stories, posts, IGTV and reels to check compliance rates discovered one in four Stories were advertising but a mere 35% were clearly labelled as such.

Of the sectors monitored, beauty had the lion's share of ad numbers online, but just 45% were compliant with advertising guidelines.



Meanwhile, in 2020 there was a 55% uptick in complaints received about influencers across various platforms, up to 3,144 for the year, 61% of which were about ad disclosures on Instagram, the research noted.

ā€œThereā€™s simply no excuse not to make clear to the public when positive messages in posts have been paid-for by a brand,ā€ said ASA chief executive Guy Parker.

ā€œWhile some influencers have got their houses in order, our monitoring shows how much more there is to do.

ā€œWeā€™ve given influencers and brands fair warning. Now we're targeting our follow-up monitoring and preparing for enforcement action.ā€

ASA did not name and shame any influencers specifically, however, it said that a number of influential figures and brands have been contacted and put ā€˜on noticeā€™, making them subject to future spot checks.

If rules are not adhered to, the group has said it will sanction non-compliant companies and influencers and make an example of them via a dedicated page on its website.

It added that the rules on advertising online are clear: ā€˜it [a post] must be obvious to consumers before they read, ā€˜likeā€™ or otherwise interact with a social media postā€™.

In February, the ASA also ordered beauty brands and influencers to stop using ā€œmisleadingā€ filters in social media campaigns.

It said cosmetics companies should not apply filters to a product that exaggerates its efficacy and those that do will be removed and prohibited from appearing again.

As part of the fresh push to steer beauty brands away from over-egging their productsā€™ effectiveness, Skinny Tan and Tanologist Tan were found guilty of breaching these rules earlier this year.

Skinny Tanā€™s advert with Elly Norris used the ā€˜Perfect Tanā€™ filter, while Tanologist Tanā€™s campaign with Cinzia Baylis-Zullo had applied the ā€˜Yourbeauty by giogiopivaa_ā€™ filter.

The new guidance on production techniques has been enforced on the back of the #filterdrop campaign, which kick-started last year by make-up artist Sasha Pallari.

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