Two Irish influencers have responded after being called out by the Advertising Standards Authority, explaining the reasons behind their complaints.
Cork influencer Julie Haynes, was listed by the ASA for advertising ‘misleading/dangerous behaviour’ featuring Space Goods in her content.
The brand is known for its mushroom coffee alternative ‘Rainbow Dust’.
The advertisement appeared on the influencer’s Instagram Story and featured a Spacegoods product called ‘Rainbow Dust’, described on the packaging as a ‘mushroom and adaptogens super blend’.
The complainant pointed out that the product being advertised was not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
They said that the influencer had recently posted that she was pregnant.
The complainant considered that the advertising did not make it clear that the product was not suitable for pregnant / breastfeeding women.
Responding to the complaint, ‘the influencer stated that their doctor advised them that the product was safe to consume.’
Another influencer, Niamh de Brún, also responded after being called out by the ASA.
The mum-of-two – who is the wife of Kilkenny hurler TJ Reid – was hit with three complaints that were upheld by the Advertising Standards Agency.
She was consistently shown to be using the hashtag ‘#A D’ instead of ‘#AD’ to identify promoted posts on her social media account.
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A complainant went to the ASA after noting she had used the wrong hashtag on three such posts to promote clothing brand 4TH ARQ, Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, and Lidl Ireland.
The complainant objected to Niamh putting a space between the A and D in ‘#AD’ on the basis that it obscured transparency and would mislead people, particularly individuals with dyslexia.
The posts were all subsequently amended to remove the space between the letters, but it was noted that hashtags were put at the bottom of the posts, making it less clear that they were marketing communications.
In all three instances, Niamh responded to the complaints, blaming the incorrect spacing on her phone’s auto-correct function and that she had corrected them all promptly once she had been made aware.
She said she has adjusted her posting process by drafting sponsored captions separately before publishing and double-checking all disclosure hashtags prior to posting.
In response, 4TH ARQ said the campaign was managed through a third-party affiliate network, and although its contract with Niamh did not call out ASA guidelines, it had stated that she must comply with all applicable laws.
‘They said that they had contacted the influencer who acknowledged that it was a genuine mistake on their part, and as soon as the influencer noticed the error, it was rectified,’ the ASA said in summary of 4TH ARQ’s response.
‘The advertisers said that it was never their intention to mislead and that, as a brand, it was incredibly important to them to remain transparent throughout all their marketing communications.’
In the Blanchardstown Centre case, the advertisers said they noted the use of ‘#A D’ when the post went live and that they raised it with the influencer’s agency.
Regarding the Lidl Ireland post, the advertisers said the content was pre-approved and that the hashtag was a typographical error at the point of upload.
In all, the ASA’s independent complaints council has upheld 23 cases in full in its latest bulletin.
