Where Instagrammers have previously been skirting by with little #ad tags on their posts, the test system puts the fact content has been paid for in a totally separate heading.
It’s really quite similar in appearance to location tags, and you can see the difference between influencer Aimee Song’s posts below:
This kind of deal has been a long time coming. The American Federal Trade Commission recently sent out 90 letters to a slew of Instagram heavy hitters across the world of sport, music, and entertainment, urging them to be clear about what content is actually an ad – or else.
The ramifications for fudging when content is an ad can be pretty huge, too. One of the many lawsuits leveled against the organisers of Fyre Festival alleges that they breached FTC regulations by having influencers like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Emily Ratajkowski make paid posts about the fest without full disclosure.
Tagging sponsors in that manner should benefit brands, too. The ‘Gram’s Creative Programs Director Charles Porch said brands would be able to more accurately track the metrics of each post, meaning more efficient content for err’body.
The trial is still in the very preliminary stages with a small clutch of users, but tbh, it seems like a pretty logical addition, and y’all are about to learn exactly how much cash goes into your feed.
Source: TechCrunch.
Photo: Kylie Jenner / Instagram.
