Bulletin

March 2021  #129

Importance of disclosing #advertising content on social media

A reminder to advertisers and influencers that commercial arrangements with brand owners must be clearly disclosed in a way that can be easily understood by every consumer - using obvious hashtags like #Ad or #PaidPartnership, rather than simply tagging the advertiser or thanking them in the post.

The updated rules under Section 2.7 of the AANA Code of Ethics help audiences distinguish paid content from user-generated content and apply to both timeline posts and temporary content such as Instagram Stories.

First case to breach the new distinguishable advertising rule

An Instagram post about a fashion brand from a well-known influencer that did not clearly disclose the commercial partnership with the advertiser is the first case found to breach the tightened rules on distinguishable advertising.

The determination from the Ad Standards Community Panel noted that simply tagging the brand was not sufficient to clearly show that there was a commercial agreement in place between the brand and the influencer.

Winning social combo for Code compliance

Complaints about transparency in an Instagram post for a hotel brand were dismissed by the Community Panel which considered that the combination of distinctive hashtags plus a caption made it clear that the post was sponsored by the advertiser.

The Panel noted that the average person would understand the promotional nature of the post through the multiple partnership hashtags and narrative in the description.

Comment section chaos

The Community Panel has upheld a complaint about a post on a used car dealer’s Facebook page. Concerns were raised about the public comments on the post being sexist and subjecting the female employee in a photograph to explicit and derogatory remarks.

User-generated comments are classified as content which the advertiser has a ‘reasonable degree of control over’ and must comply with the advertising Codes.

The Panel considered a cross-section of the 30,000 comments and determined that the ad breached the AANA Code of Ethics rules on discrimination/vilification and sexual appeal which is exploitative or degrading.

You can find all Ad Standards Community Panel determinations on the website at AdStandards.com.au/cases

New WFA guide to tackling diversity in advertising

The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has released a new ‘how to’ guide for advertisers on representation and diversity for use at each step of the creative process to help create responsible advertising content.

More resources for advertisers in Australia to help produce content that’s in line with community standards and the advertising Codes and Initiatives are available at AdStandards.com.au