Week 55 - TikTok Ad Reprimand

 This week I came across a news story which caught my attention. It was this news article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54797919

It was about Emily Canham who is a tiktok star that got reprimanded for not mentioning that her video was an advert using the #ad hashtag or a similar label which shows followers that the post is a paid advert. 

It's a rule that recently came in, and it is a rule that states all social media posts that are a part of a paid deal must state this it is an advert through the us of a tag in the caption. 

In this case, Emily was reprimanded by the ASA after she failed to label her tiktok video as a paid advert using the hashtag. She was then not paid for the promoting of GHD through this tiktok post after GHD confirmed promoting the code on tiktok was not a part of the contract arranged between GHD and Emily. 

I found this story interesting because it made me have a better understanding or sponsorship and influencer advertising. I was aware of the rule ASA have put in place as all influencers I follow do label their posts. As this isn't a really new rule I do think Emily deserved to be reprimanded especially since she is an influencer and is aware of this rule as she labels her advertising on other social media platforms. 

From this story, I have learnt that the ASA do closely monitor influencers posts and don't miss a thing, they also ensure they reprimand anyone who breaks there rules. A the end of the day, rules are rules for a reason. I do think it's important for people to follow this rule set by the ASA so followers of the influencers understand they are being paid to promote this item as a part of a job rather than I product they may use themselves.