Commercial use of Instagram: to mention or not to mention?
Even though these Instagrammers weren't paid in the traditional sense, in these cases should it be explicitly stated that the influencer was asked by a company to take photos in exchange for one thing or another, to avoid deception? Instagrammer Brian DiFeo ( @bridif , 138102 followers) doesn't think so:
“I'm just sharing my experiences with my audience. Sometimes it's personal and sometimes it's professional.”
As one of the founders of The Mobile Media Lab, a New York-based company focused on Instagram marketing, among other things, DiFeo has plenty of experience in this area. As an Instagrammer, he's worked with paying brands like Samsung and Nike. To generate buzz for Samsung's new Galaxy Note smartphone, DiFeo, along with Mobile Media Lab colleagues Anthony Danielle ( @takinyerphoto ) and Liz Eswein ( @newyorkcity , 422464 followers), created a campaign around the hashtag #benoteworthy .
Following guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), an independent cambodia telegram data branch of the US government focused on consumer protection, the influencers decided to indicate with each photo that it was sponsored by Samsung.
However, for photos taken for other paid assignments (such as a photoshoot for MyNicolita Swimwear), it was not explicitly stated that the Instagrammers were being paid for the photos and so their followers were unaware of the commercial nature of the shoot.
Photoshoot swimwear
It can be said that adding the brand name as a hashtag makes it clear enough that the photo is sponsored. However, on Instagram, any user can add a brand name as a hashtag, which is often done with photos of Starbucks cups. These photos are not sponsored by or commissioned by Starbucks itself.
The lack of a sponsored hashtag can therefore indeed lead to misleading the consumer. This is because the influencer's follower cannot immediately determine whether the photo was posted to, as DiFeo says, share personal experiences with followers, or for professional/commercial purposes.
Do you think that Instagrammers, when working for a brand, should be required by the brand to disclose that they are being compensated in some way, to prevent people from being misled? Should the Instagram team also work with the FTC to create guidelines for brands that want to work with Instagrammers? Or should this be a task for WOMMA?