Instagrammers and Influencers

[scotx]

New thread to follow on from this one

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/3462129-Can-we-chat-about-fashion-Instagrammers-influencers?msgid=84590932

@ThanksItHasPockets unfortunately baby milk action won't take on instagrammers. I contacted them about a post from poppy someone or other who posted a big pic of a tub of aptamil and they said to contact her myself and they were only really interested in retailers etc

Has anyone done a recent complaint to ASA? I have seen a few people apparently being reported on other forums for blatant non disclosure of ads that never appear on the ASA rulings (formal or informal) list. I'm surprised that given the CMA guidance that came out that there hasn't been a big uptick in resolved complaints, because it does seem more consumers are aware of the rules and are reporting non disclosure. I feel like ASA has changed how it classifies rulings, and is being selective about what it reports on the rulings list? Maybe I am being overly cynical but interested in other people's experience.

@JessicaPeach

I’m not sure if I’m the Poppy you are referring to but I’ve posted about Aptamil on Instagram before, though I don’t remember you (or anyone) contacting me at the time querying if I had a relationship with Aptamil so I could have wires crossed. Aware I’m not a big league instagrammer - far from it - but my name’s not that common so it probably is me you’re referring to.

I don’t want to derail but just want to clarify this as I think it’s important: I have never worked with Aptamil. I’ve turned down paid campaigns from both Aptamil and SMA for follow-on milks because despite formula feeding my twins I know that follow-on milks are not recommended by the NHS and that the advertising of follow-on milks is often used as a way of getting around the fact that first stage infant formula advertising is illegal. I was a paying Aptamil customer for over a year, I still wouldn’t feel comfortable taking money from them to promote their wares.

I had every intention to breastfeed my twins and wrote extensively about it before they were born. When I chose to give up expressing I wrote about that too. I also made a YouTube video discussing the decision in detail and I have always pointed twin mums in the direction of breastfeeding support groups for parents of multiples - as there are some fabulous ones! I don’t want to derail this into a BF/FF debate when it’s about influencer ethics but I do want to clarify I have never had a discounted/gifted/paid partnership of any sort with any formula brand.

I HAVE shared my experiences of formula on my Instagram but only in the context of my son with reflux and talking specifically about reflux milks. I was talking about reflux a lot on Stories and was receiving countless messages from desperate mums who were struggling so shared what helped me. Perhaps in hindsight that was irresponsible though as effectively I was “advertising” formula albeit off my own back with no affiliation to the brand. Definitely something for me to think about.

Omg I watch your stories every day! I really enjoy your account, its very unfancy and its a bit of a breath of fresh air. Especially appreciate all the old Gap hoody wearing as its usually what I'm wearing at the exact same time, lol.

I am slightly in awe though as I never had twins and found 2 under 2 so hard I ended up with PNT so am always dumbfounded at how you are always so calm and serene. Especially with a partner working away all the time. I honestly don't know how you do it, especially the nights.

wouldyou I reported one a couple of weeks ago and had an email this morning saying they had been in touch with her to set out their expectations. It was a blog post rather than Instagram, and I have unfollowed her on Insta now.

I follow a you tuber/instagrammer mummy in the know. Her recent blog she was blatantly playing with her necklace then says oh you may be wondering why I'm playing with my necklace it's because it's new, I was sent it by bla bla, it's from "boom" oh no it's from "bloom", flashes "bloom" up on the screen ...all just a hideous blatant ad....

Sorry my point being that nowhere does it say in her you tube account/vlog that this includes an ad or a gifted item.

@poppywiwt actually it was you, apologies I couldn't remember the combo of wiwt or whether you used your surname. I didn't take their advice and contact you directly because I didn't think it would go down well, at all, direct feedback never does on Instagram. I just unfollowed you instead. I know you weren't advertising formula and the strict rules are something lots of people aren't aware of. I'm aware that the feedback could easily, especially at the time just upset you which is why I checked with baby milk action if it was allowed (they said it wasn't by the way but they don't pursue) then decided against approaching you because in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter does it? Followed the classic Instagram advice of 'don't like it don't follow' instead!

@JessicaPeach Thanks. That makes perfect sense. I totally understand that different people will want to follow different accounts and I’m trying to be better at unfollowing those that irritate me rather than quietly seething. I just wanted to be clear that I wasn’t working with them as would hate anyone to think I was working with a paid client and not disclosing it - especially on such a sensitive subject.

@ElspethFlashman Thank you! They’re good sleepers which makes everything five thousand times easier. Am not always calm and serene! Currently mustering the energy to clean tuna pasta off the floor in my Gap (please sponsor me) trackies

I think the ASA are only publishing the rulings on a very small percentage of the cases they receive. Most of them seem to be getting handled "behind the scenes" with an email being sent along with the guidelines and I guess pointing out what they need to do in the future to comply. I've reported one and got the email back that said they had contacted the person concerned and discussed the matter with them but it never appeared on the rulings list. I suspect the list would be pages long if it was everyone that had received a complaint but maybe that's what needed!

Yeah I got one back saying they had been spoken to and the rules explained. The person in question then storied saying she'd been complained about and she was a professional and those items were not gifted she was just supporting them. However she is now tagging her beauty treatments as #gifted whereas previously that wasn't clear.

Hmm.....that talk of gifted beauty treatments makes me wonder whether we might be referring to the same person @hopeishere!

Judy and scotx thank you for your responses. I'm starting to think ASA are fobbing consumers off with their responses and letting a lot of stuff slide by with their promise of providing 'advice' to the instagrammers. This isn't what their rulings page suggests should be happening , as it says:

"Our rulings are published every Wednesday and set out on the public record how, following investigation, the advertising rules apply and where we draw the line in judging whether an ad has broken the rules. We also publish a list of companies and organisations which, following receipt of a complaint, agreed to amend or withdraw their ad without the need for a formal investigation."

I think what we see on the ASA website is the tip of the iceberg in terms of complaints and shady advertisers. Raising a complaint isn't a sport (if it is, then it is equivalent to shooting fish in a barrel) and it is really poor regulation if ASA are brushing a lot of non compliance under the carpet.

Disappointing that the ASA are not being transparent in regulating their rules about bring trapnsparent

As for that Camp Bestival Parenting Lineup, it’s a shitshow. Makes it hard for the instagrammers involved to pretend they’re not a clique when it’s the same core group of names for years now. WTF is Clemmie Telford’s Lists Live? The description has nothing to do with lists but her hosting a paid dinner party where guests speak. Revolutionary.

How do you search the ASA results? What category does insta come under?

Re the beauty @scotx it could be but I've seen AB and DMBL both tagging their hair colour as well as the person I'm thinking of so it's obviously more prevalent than I realise. AB must pay for nothing!!

Go to the rulings page and you can search by advertiser. Insta doesn’t have its own category it falls under internet (social networking)

www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/rulings.html

Hahaha, I made a comment on one of the instamums offerings - entirely polite and interested. She sent me a slightly bizarre, passive aggressive direct mail asking me why I had made the comment and then blocked me before I could reply. Glad I had screenshot her message, but she does have history for deleting non-fangirls.

What offerings, Gifts/ads or Camp Bestival? And what instamum?

Does anyone follow Lisa Faulkner? She tags nothing!

Ah sorry, by offering I meant post, not story. No, nothing to do with beastival(?) - is that Fyre for instamummies?

@poppywiwt I bloody love your feed and the twinsvsfood one. Really like your content and trust your recommendations. Sorry, nothing of any worth to offer, just wanted to say hi!

Strange you mentioned Lisa Faulkner @hopeishere because I haven’t seen anything about her for ages but an ad with her popped up on my Facebook today. Promoting life insurance. I’m sure she’s looking at her own cookbook in it, lol.

The dawn porter popchips ad was weird! If it wasn't for the paid parternship tag I would've thought she was taking the piss.

@popcornetto yeah, that was a very poor effort. I wonder what the brand thought.

It was a kind of 'I can't really be arsed, but they're paying me'. At least the fashion/lifestyle influencers put a bit of effort into it!

I think she definitely can't be arsed. In fairness she has a deadline for her book and seems to be sole parenting it at the moment, so I imagine it was way down on her list of things she wanted to make an effort for.

And hey, maybe she's right? She'll get paid regardless? So maybe being fancy is a bit unnecessary?