By Lucy Caulkett-
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has secured formal commitments from 16 celebrities to ensure they will now say clearly if they have been paid or received any gifts or loans for products which they endorse.
The influential celebrities, with large online followings, who have acted in response to the CMA’s concerns, include singers Ellie Goulding , Rita Ora, models Alexa Chung and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, former Coronation Street and Our Girl actress Michelle Keegan and TV reality stars Millie Mackintosh and Megan McKenna. Warning letters have also been sent to a number of other celebrities, urging them to review their practices where some concerns have been identified.
Rita Ora, a British singer and actress rose to prominence in 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh’s single “Hot Right Now”, reaching number one in the UK. Ora also had the most number 1 singles in the UK chart -three consecutive of her singles reaching number 1 in 2012. In particular her second album studio Phoenix, released in November 2018, had its lead single, ”your song reach the top ten in the Uk. Other songs written by the star after that including anywhere and let you love me’ the latter single made Ora the first British female solo artist to have thirteen top ten in the Uk.
Born in Yugoslavia, before moving to Britain at the age one years old, her rise to fame was an inspiring journey, winning her legions of fans who would practically follow her recommendation of products. She has featured as a judge on X factor, making her a top candidate for advertising companies who want to give their products maximum exposure. Ora has agreed to abide by the CMA guidelines, and like the other celebrities on the CMA list, will be monitored to ensure compliance.
Ellie Goulding, who sold over one million copies of her debut album in 2010, became the second artist to top the BBC’s annual Sound of poll and win the Critics’ Choice Award at the Brit Awards. She received her first Grammy Award nomination in 2015 for best pop solo performance for her single love me like you do.n 2010
Warned: Ellie Goulding
WARNED
The warning comes after the CMA found that many of the celebrities listed had not informed their followers of the full facts behind the products they were endorsing. Withholding this vital information amounts to breaking consumer protection law. The CMA have warned could face enforcement action from the CMA, local authority Trading Standards services or the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland. Celebrities might also be breaking industry rules on advertising. There is a major difference between a celebrity who endorses a product because they like that product, and one who endorses it because they have been paid to do so. The public deserve to know whether the celebrity truly supports the product they are endorsing, or whether the product has the uninfluenced support of the celebrity.
BOOST
Online endorsements from celebrities and influencers can help brands boost sales since millions of fans follow their social media channels to see where they go on holiday, what they wear, which products they use, and more.
However, where such stars are paid or rewarded to promote a product in their social media feeds, consumer protection law requires them to disclose that they’ve been paid or given incentives to endorse a brand. Failure to be transparent about these facts risks them giving a misleading impression that a post represents their personal view about a product or service.
Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA, said:
Influencers can have a huge impact on what their fans decide to buy. People could, quite rightly, feel misled if what they thought was a recommendation from someone they admired turns out to be a marketing ploy.
You should be able to tell as soon as you look at a post if there is some form of payment or reward involved, so you can decide whether something is really worth spending your hard-earned money on.
The enforcement action taken by the CMA has seen a number of social media stars pledge to be more transparent when posting online. It also sends a clear message to all influencers, brands and businesses that they must be open and clear with their followers. We will also continue our work to secure more improvement in this space.
Warning letters have also been sent to a number of other celebrities, urging them to review their practices where some concerns have been identified.