CELEBS, BE OPEN ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA PLUGS
Several big names including Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner have been criticised for not declaring that their posts on social media were endorsements. We look at the phenomenon closer home
When scrolling down your social media feed, you must have come across a post by your favourite celebrity raving about a product or service they love. Well, it’s no secret that some of it is paid for but how often do the stars declare so?
A recent article by British tabloid Daily Mail highlighted how UK celebrities such as model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, pop stars Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding were called out for endorsing products without declaring they were paid to. It also reported that an investigation was conducted by Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), following concerns raised by social media users on the issue. The stars who were named and shamed (and the ones who weren’t) in the investigation, which
started last year in August, have pledged to be transparent going forward.
And this raises the question that back home, do our celebrities reveal they’re being paid to endorse? “One should openly declare if they are getting paid to endorse a product or service. Just look at the documentary made about the disaster that was Fyre Festival. That music festival was sold because a few supermodels were paid to endorse it on Instagram. Also, I think by being open, you gain the trust of your followers,” says Karishma Kotak, TV presenter and model.
Some celebrities think that subtle plug-ins by tagging the brand in an Instagram post is equivalent to a declaration. “No, all social media influencers need to openly declare that they are paid for it. Cleverly tagging won’t work,” says adman Prahlad Kakkar.
It isn’t just about having a transparent social media policy; it’s also about owning up to the responsibility that comes with being a social media influencer. “The problem is the lack of accountability. Once celebrities and social media influencers are paid, they don’t care about the consequences. Just look at supermodels Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, who are facing possible subpoenas over Fyre Festival. If you are getting paid to endorse anything then say it and be ready to take responsibility if something goes wrong,” says rapper Raftaar.
And what’s the law on celebrity advertising? “By concealing paid partnerships or paid advertisements on social media, celebrities in a sense abuse the trust their followers repose in them; not to mention that they are also attempting to evade the law, which casts a duty on them in the form of responsible advertising (as per the ASCI guidelines for celebrities in advertising, 2017). Full disclosure should be the norm in advertising as it is in the ultimate interest of the consumer,” says Arnav Narain, lawyer.
Unfortunately, the problem with implementing the law is that jurisdiction of social media is a grey area, unlike television, print or radio.