The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued fresh guidance to stop influencers from using their platform to sell products without making it clear that they are doing so.
It comes just one week after two Instagram posts by Sophie Hinchcliffe - better known as Mrs Hinch - have been banned after she failed to make clear to her followers that she was advertising her own products. Both ads, posted last year, cannot be shared on Mrs Hinch's social media again moving forward.
The new guidance from the agency seeks to "ensure that advertising content posted by influencers is clear about what it is."
The Advertising watchdogs last week said that the commercial intent of the a post in which Mrs Hinch promoted her own book was "ambiguous".
They noted that the line "Mrs Hinch Life in Lists", and her statement that it was "In my own notebook of course", only appeared at the end of the ad, concluding: "We considered the ad was not immediately clear as to Ms Hinchliffe’s commercial relationship with the notebook."
The second banned post featured heart-shaped bowls of varying sizes and the text: "On a right roll here. Even put some 'nibbles' (In my own hinch heart bowls, I love em) #hinchxtesco."
Hinchliffe said the ad was created "organically" and not as part of any obligation to market the products.
The ASA said: "Whilst that text may have given some indication to consumers that Ms Hinchliffe had been involved in designing the bowls, it was not explicitly made clear, and we considered that it was also not clear that she received royalties from their sale.
"We also understood that the ad was similar in style to non-ad content created by Sophie Hinchliffe who, as a home cleaning influencer, often shared lifestyle tips on Instagram."
In both instances, Hinchcliffe said she would include an "ad" label in future when showing products she owned or had designed.
The fresh guidance from the ASA states: "If you've received payment or any other incentive from a brand, or you are otherwise personally or commercially connected to the brand, any related content will need to make clear that it's advertising.
"This means that whenever you receive any sort of incentive from a brand (even if it’s not money –free products and other benefits count too), or you are directly connected to a brand e.g., you’re an owner, employee, shareholder, director or have any other commercial or personal interest (i.e. family and friends), you need to make clear in any content where you feature or refer to the brand, that it’s advertising."
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