Govt explains guidelines for paid endorsements by social media influencers

Disclosure must be placed in endorsement message in a manner that is clear, prominent, and hard to miss

The government on Monday explained its guidelines for paid endorsements by social media influencers, clarifying what it meant by the use of words like advertisement, sponsored, collaboration or paid promotion.

The department of consumer affairs in January issued guidelines for such influencers, including virtual avatars, to disclose their material connections while endorsing products.

The department admitted later the guidelines were creating confusion. It now says that for paid or barter brand endorsement, any of the following disclosures can be used: advertisement, ad, sponsored, collaboration, or partnership. The term must be indicated as a hashtag or headline text.

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