Over two-fifths of influencer ads fail to meet ASA disclosure standards

More than two-fifths (43%) of influencer ads are undisclosed or improperly disclosed, according to a new report from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

One-third (34%) of influencers ads have no disclosure at all. Meanwhile 9% of ads had an attempted disclosure label, but the language used “failed to make the commercial nature of the content clear”.

Inadequate ad disclosue labels included phrases such as “Link in bio”, “Gifted”, “Thank you”, “Aff” or “Affiliate”, “Collab”, “PR” or “PR Trip” and “Personalised discount code”.

According to the report, ads more generally have become increasingly prominent on Instagram and TikTok — one in four of the Instagram posts the self-regulatory body reviewed were ads, with the same true for one in six posts on TikTok.

The ASA received 3,566 complaints regarding influencer ads in 2024, 10% of the total complaints it received.

The lack of disclosure standards was especially prominent in relation to travel and fashion brands. According to the ASA, more than half of influencer ads related to the promotion of products or services in those sectors were either undisclosed or poorly disclosed.

In the UK, it has been illegal for brands and influencers to post paid content without a disclaimer since 2008.

It is the second time the ASA has published an influencer ad disclosure report. It follows a monitoring exercise undertaken in 2021 which found that just 35% of influencer ads were clearly disclosed as advertising at that time.

“Today’s results show significant work in progress,” Scott Guthrie, director-general of the Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB), told The Media Leader. “We’re clearly not where we need to be yet, but a climb of 22 percentage points shows the industry is making positive progress.”

The new report was conducted with the use of the ASA’s AI-based Active Ad Monitoring System, which analysed over 50,000 pieces of content across Instagram and TikTok posted by 509 UK-based accounts and 390 individual influencers.

The sample included influencers that the ASA had previously flagged in its 2021 report as not maintaining ad disclosure standards, influencers reported to ASA/CAP before it began this latest monitoring project in 2024, and a random selection of influencer accounts aimed at reflecting what an average social media user would see on their feeds.

“Whilst today’s report shows that many influencers are disclosing their ads, we want this number to be higher,” commented ASA senior compliance executive Ed Senior. “In a world where social media plays an increasingly significant role in our lives, it’s vital that people are able to tell what’s advertising and what’s not.”

Europe’s new influencer marketing alliance aims to address ad disclosure concerns

Influencer marketing has become increasingly popular among brands seeking to target valuable Gen Z audiences. The global influencer marketing industry was worth an estimated $24bn in 2024, with some analysts expecting this figure to double by 2028. According to the ASA, UK adspend on influencers more than tripled between 2019 and 2023.

With growth has come added scrutiny, with multiple attempts by regulators to conduct “sweeps” to estimate disclosure rates of influencer ads in recent years. One such sweep across 24 European countries last year found just 20% disclosed when they were posting ads, despite 97% posting commercial content.

In response, the European Influencer Marketing Alliance (EIMA) was formed last summer with the expressed purpose of professionalising the influencer marketing industry by addressing persistent ad disclosure concerns and developing labour standards especially around the growth of “kidfluencers”.

Guthrie, through IMTB, is a leading member of EIMA. He noted that “marketers are less likely to work with influencers who habitually fail to declare ads as ads”.

Guthrie continued: “Influencers who flout the CAP code are likely to get caught. Marketers use AI tools to check influencers’ past content to ensure they’re brand safe. They do this from brand safety and reputational standpoints but also to avoid financial penalty.

“Influencer marketing plays a pivotal role in shaping consumer behaviour. The trust our sector enjoys is earned when brands, agencies, platforms and creators act responsibly, taking seriously their obligations to each other and to consumers.”

For the ASA’s part, Senior added the self-regulatory body is “here to support influencers and brands in getting it right” but that it “won’t hesitate to take action” where it sees repeat offenders.

“Our message is simple,” Senior said. “If it’s an ad, make it obvious.”