IF 2018 IN Ireland taught us anything, it’s that hell hath no fury like a social-media user duped by shady #sponcon.

With accounts established solely to highlight the lack of transparency across numerous influencers’ platforms, pressure intensified across the board and calls were made for celebrities and influencers to declare if they have been paid to promote or endorse a product.

Indeed, an investigation conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK last August highlighted the need for tighter controls after they concluded that a number of high-profile individuals were failing to disclose the relevant information in their posts which breaches consumer protection law.

According to The Guardian, Andrea Coscelli, CMA chief executive, said:

Influencers can have a huge impact on what their fans decide to buy. People could, quite rightly, feel misled if what they thought was a recommendation from someone they admired turns out to be a marketing ploy.

“You should be able to tell as soon as you look at a post if there is some form of payment or reward involved, so you can decide whether something is really worth spending your hard-earned money on,” she added.

As such, more than a dozen celebrity influencers have this week formally committed to the CMA to disclose payment deals if a social media post requires it.

They are

• Singers Ellie Goulding and Rita Ora 
• Reality TV stars Holly Hagan and Megan McKenna 
• Actress Michelle Keegan 
• Models Iskra Lawrence and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley 
• YouTube star Zoe Sugg, or Zoella as she’s better known.
• Fashion bloggers Dina Torkia and James Chapman 
• Writer and model Alexa Chung 
• The Only Way Is Essex stars Mario Falcone and Chloe Sims 
• Made In Chelsea stars Binky Felstead, Louise Thompson and Millie Mackintosh

Warning letters have been sent to numerous other influencers following the investigation, and the CMA is hopeful that the formal commitments made by the aforementioned celebrities and influencers will set an example to others in the industry.

Failure to disclose payment or reward can result in prosecution, leading to fines or a two-year prison sentence.

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