Molly-Mae ad banned for flouting influencer rules

Love Island star and influencer Molly-Mae hit headlines again last week after one of her Instagram posts was banned for failing mention that that it was an advertisement, misleading her millions of followers.

The Advertising Standards Authority responded to a complaint about an Instagram post where Molly-Mae, who is a paid creative director at Pretty Little Thing, added a link to a dress and stated “You can actually shop it now on PLT – couldn’t not make it available for you guys too”.

The ASA said “We considered that while some of her followers may have known that she was creative director at PLT, it was not immediately clear to all consumers that she had a commercial interest in PLT from the post itself. We therefore concluded that the commercial intent behind the story was not made clear and upfront and it was not obviously identifiable as a marketing communication.”

Amy Kingham, Compliance Manager at PromoVeritas had this to say “The ASA’s code of conduct clearly states that any paid for promotional posts on social media must display a clear label of #ad, #advertsment or something along those very lines to ensure it is crystal clear to those viewing it. Even though the post itself may have not been paid for, she has a contractual relationship with Pretty Little Thing and therefore has an obligation to disclose it”

This is Molly-Mae’s fourth ruling in two years, and it is not the first time we’ve seen influencers falling foul of the rules. This has prompted the ASA to create a ‘name and shame’ page that calls out influencers for wrongdoings, and so far celebrities like Jack Quickenden, Jacqueline Jossa and Charlotte Dawson have had slaps on the wrist.

Ultimately the rules are simple but without the correct planning or knowledge it can be hard to stay between the lines when it comes to your influencer marketing. An ASA ruling does not only affect relations between the influencer and brand but also the public’s perception of the brand as being trustworthy.

At PromoVeritas our legal team can advise brands and agencies alike on all the rules and can offer influencer services from agreements to copy checking to training.  Find out more about our influencer services by contacting us here or calling +44 (0)203 325 6000.