Contestants from British hit reality show Love Island are being given a helping hand in their transition to life as a B-List celebrity.
The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK and ITV have teamed up to create a ‘cheat sheet to declaring ads on social media’.
“You don’t have to graft to get to grips with the key advertising rules in life after the villa,” said the ASA.
“We don’t want to get all Factor 50 on you, so we’ve written an ABC cheat sheet to help celebs and influencers stay loyal to their followers.”
The cheat sheet stresses the importance of transparency and authenticity for influencers, warning the ASA will take action against any influencer that doesn’t disclose a ‘#ad’ where appropriate.
It also reminds the Love Island survivors that gifts count as ‘payment-in-kind’, meaning they must mark a post as an ad when featuring any freebies.
“Given the popularity and success of Love Island, many brands and companies may look to enter into commercial partnerships with contestants as a quick and effective way of reaching and promoting directly to their social media followers,” the ASA said.
“While there is nothing wrong with that, it’s important that all parties know and understand how and when the advertising rules apply to them to ensure the public aren’t being misled.”
ASA CEO Guy Parker said: “Our checklist is a quick and effective way of helping Love Islanders ensure their social media posts stick to the rules and avoid misleading their followers. Our message is simple: make sure you’re upfront and clear when you’re being paid to post.”
The ASA recently ruled a ‘celebrity’ on social media is anyone with over 30,000 followers, after Instagrammer ThisMamaLife shared a post promoting sleeping tablets.
Always a ratings hit, Love Island has recently kicked off for another season in the UK, already featuring the infamous “Barcelona is in Italy” bungle.
