Instagram trouble ahead for Keatings?
Couple may be breaking UK rules on product placement
RONAN and Storm Keating are in danger of falling foul of advertising watchdogs over potential breaches of social media laws.
The celebrity couple, who have a combined social media clout of 400,000 followers on Instagram, regularly use their platforms to promote various products and showcase gifted goods.
But new laws introduced by two watchdogs, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority and Competition and Marketing Authority, regarding social media influencers could cause trouble with the watchdogs.
On Ronan and Storm’s social media pages, a host of posts have been identified that do not clearly
‘It sounds like a commercial relationship’
set out if they have been paid to promote goods or a service, or if something has been gifted.
For the past few years, Swiss company IWC has paid the couple to promote its watches and under the laws this means that every post in which the brand is evident must be clearly marked as an ad to ensure transparency.
On December 30, Ronan posted a snap of just his wrist with his IWC watch looming large in the picture. He then waxed lyrical about time ticking and to enjoy every minute of life and not to mind the ‘haters’.
However, this post does not clearly state that Keating has or had a commercial relationship with IWC. Similarly, on March 30, Storm posted a picture of a bag and Ground Coffee Society cup with the hashtags #bestcoffee #groundcoffee. Again, she does not disclose if they are or were partners in the Ground Coffee Society franchise.
The couple have also posted effusive thank yous to luxury car brands Mercedes and BMW after they had the use of their cars for trips in Australia and the UK.
And this week their son Cooper received an Aran sweater from Irish family business Purely Organic. While Storm posted a big thank-you to the company and a picture of the jumper, it is again not declared clearly as a gift. The ASA this week said that the posts could potentially be a breach: ‘The posts you’ve highlighted would fall under our remit [if they are ads],’ a spokesman said.
‘Based on the information you’ve provided, it sounds as though there is clearly a commercial relationship in place between the Keatings and the brands mentioned.’
A spokesman for the CMA pointed the MoS to guidelines which say existing or previous commerical interest should be clearly stated.
A spokesman for the Keatings said that their legal representatives have been asked to confirm that there is no breach of the guidelines.