The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has revealed it will investigate more than 100 Aussie influencers who have been dobbed in for breaking the rules online..
In a new report, the ACCC said it had received more than 150 tip-offs from folks online who have spotted influencers large AND small promoting products in their posts without making it clear that the post is an ad.
“The number of tip-offs reflects the community concern about the ever-increasing number of manipulative marketing techniques on social media, designed to exploit or pressure consumers into purchasing goods or services,” said ACCC’s Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb in the report.
Living for the use of the words “manipulative” and “exploit”. She’s right and she should say it.
“We want to thank the community for letting us know which influencers they believe might not be doing the right thing,” she continued.
“Already, we are hearing some law firms and industry bodies have informed their clients about the ACCC’s sweep, and reminded them of their advertising disclosure requirements.”
According to the ACCC report, a majority of the mini-mini-celebs who were dobbed in were beauty, lifestyle, fashion or parenting influencers. Tip-offs have suggested that influencers are trying to hide paid promotion of products across platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and even Snapchat.
The reason these teeny-tiny-teenie-weenie-celebs do this is so they can rake in the paid promotion dosh while still coming across as genuine and authentic to their audience. This creates a sense of trust between influencer and followers which allows the poster to continually recommend products without shattering the facade with a “#ad”.
But of course, trying to sell things off to your otherwise unaware followers without clearly informing them that you’re doing so is against everything the ACCC stands for.
“With more Australians choosing to shop online, consumers often rely on reviews and testimonials when making purchases, but misleading endorsements can be very harmful,” said Cass-Gottlieb.
“It is important social media influencers are clear if there are any commercial motivations behind their posts. This includes those posts that are incentivised and presented as impartial but are not.
“The ACCC will not hesitate to take action when we see consumers are at risk of being misled or deceived by a testimonial, and there is potential for significant harm.”
Honestly, I’m very much here for the ACCC doing a sweep of all the Aussie influencers trying to pull sneaky ones on their followers. Get em, girls.
