The increase of celebrities peddling brand messages on their personal social media accounts that are light on disclosure has not gone unnoticed by the Federal Trade Commission. In fact, it’s on their radar and they are planning to crack down on this practice that can be very confusing to followers who are not aware that celebrity is being compensated for the product endorsement.
Social media users need to be clear when they’re getting paid to promote something, and hashtags like #ad, #sp, #sponsored –common forms of identification– are not always enough.
The FTC will be putting the responsibility on the advertisers to make sure they comply according to a deputy in the FTC’s Ad Practices Division, Michael Ostheimer. It’s a move that could make the social media posts seem less authentic, thus reducing their impact. Read more
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