puglife, for me the reason instamums are different from bounty is for the following reason.
At least two women have admitted on here they have been influenced as a new mum to buy lots of things they’d seen. They watched these instamums and likely thought oh she has a great life, they are always happy, kids are always happy, lovely days out, dressed lovely and have aspired to be the same through purchasing the materialistic things the instamums recommended or holidays, days out etc, thinking they too will then be as happy as a family and look as well turned out etc. Unbeknown to them a lot of it was actually ‘gifted’ or ‘ad’ that went undeclared. Women who are struggling possibly with children who argue a lot, or sleepless nights with a newborn, or pnd or anything looking at those accounts and grasping at anything they think will make them as happy as what they see on these accounts.
People will copy others they aspire to be like and will try buy into that lifestyle, however it’s not real. They didn’t buy the stuff, they aren’t that happy. All the bad bits are edited out of their lives. People are aspiring to something that can’t be achieved. Some are still completely so unaware of that though. It’s manipulative. Bounty throwing you a few freebies isn’t anything like that it doesn’t emotionally manipulate you.
The brands that work with the instamums are just as bad. They should also be baring the brunt of this actually and the ASA should be targeting both sides that arent complying to the legal rules of advertising now especially the brands who are telling the influencers not to post as if it’s an ad.