ASA publishes guidance for influencers

The Advertising Standards Authority has published a ‘top tips’ checklist for influencers looking to work with brands on a commercial basis.

The guidance states that influencers making recommendations in instances where a commercial relationship is in place must be clear that the relevant post, blog or video is a paid-for financial endorsement.

“There’s nothing wrong with influencers entering commercial relationships with marketers/brands or agencies, but consumers must not be misled,” the regulator said in a statement.

“That’s why, if the mention of a brand – or indeed any other content – results from a commercial relationship, this needs to be made clear to avoid misleading the audience.”

The update follows a series of court cases featuring high-profile celebrities that have been charged with misleading their followers on the specifics of financial products.

“Ads that are very similar in terms of tone or voice as an influencer’s usual posts are very likely to need a label to distinguish them,” the ASA spokesperson said.

“At a minimum, the ASA is likely to expect such posts to include a prominent label upfront (which usually means ‘at the beginning’ of the ad – wherever that might be) to highlight that a post is a marketing communication.”

The ASA said it would prefer for commercial endorsements to be labelled as an “ad”, “advert”, “advertising”, or  “ad feature” rather than “sponsored” or “supported by” which the watchdog says can also be misleading.

“As ever, marketing communications should, among other things, be socially responsibly and not mislead consumers materially,” it concluded.

The full ASA guidance is available here.