These Influencers And Celebrities Have All Agreed To Be More Upfront About Paid Instagram Posts

This we know from following influencer drama over the past year: People get MAD when they think they’re being sneakily sold something.

And now, the government in the UK is cracking down on shady advertising practices by getting celebs and influencers to formally commit to being more transparent.

A number of huge social media stars received a warning from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which prevents anti-competitive business activities.

In a statement, the CMA said that letters had been sent urging them to review their practices – here’s the list of those that have committed to clearly disclosing when they’re being paid to post on social media:

• Singers Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding;
• YouTubers Zoe Sugg (AKA Zoella), Dina Torkia, and Jim Chapman;
• Models Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Alexa Chung, and Iskra Lawrence;
• Actress Michelle Keegan;
• And reality TV stars Millie Mackintosh, Megan McKenna, Chloe Sims, Louise Thompson, Binky Felstead, Holly Hagan, and Mario Falcone.

Chief executive of the CMA Andrea Coscelli said that people could “quite rightly feel mislead if what they thought was a recommendation from someone they admired turns out to be a marketing ploy”.

You should be able to tell as soon as you look at a post if there is some form of payment or reward involved, so you can decide whether something is really worth spending your hard-earned money on. [The action by the CMA] sends a clear message to all influencers, brands and businesses that they must be open and clear with their followers.

Failure to disclose payment or reward, according to the CMA, can result in a fine or a prison sentence.

Very interesting. The BAI in Ireland has upheld complaints against Irish influencers for not properly disclosing paid advertisements in the past, but has not taken a blanket measure like this as of yet. Could this be the future?

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