TV star Jodie Marsh and Love Island stars including Anna Vakili and twins Jess and Eve Gale have been named and shamed for “consistently failing to disclose ads on their Instagram accounts”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has also pointed the finger at Belle Hassan and Francesca Allen, saying all six of the stars were subject to further sanctions.
The organisation said that if a social media post is advertising, it needs to be obvious to people before they engage with it.
The ASA previously set up a webpage that named influencers who kept breaking the rules.
The regulator said: “Francesca Allen, Jess Gale, Eve Gale, Belle Hassan, Jodie Marsh and Anna Vakili have all previously been named as not flagging ads in their posts, Stories or Reels.
“Since going on the webpage, they have failed to abide by the advertising rules and improve disclosure. The ASA is now taking out ads against these influencers on Instagram, alerting consumers to their failure to follow the rules.”
The ad says: “[Name] has been sanctioned by the UK’s ad regulator for not declaring ads on this platform. Be aware that products and services recommended or featured by this influencer may have been paid for by those brands. Our non-compliant social media influencer page at asa.org.uk is regularly updated to inform consumers of those who break these rules.”
Amber Rose Gill – another star who found fame as a singleton looking for romance on Love Island – is also being added to the webpage for “ongoing non-disclosure”.
Shahriar Coupal, the ASA’s director of advertising policy and practice, said: “For the minority of influencers that repeatedly fail to disclose their paid-for posts, it’s important their social media followers are told.
“In a new front of enforcement activity, we’re using targeted ads to highlight the breaches of six social media personalities to the very same audience they’re seeking to influence. When we see the necessary changes to their disclosure practices, we’ll call off the ads.
“But, where non-compliance persists, we’ll look to more direct forms of enforcement.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk