CorpComms Magazine

A new set of guidelines which provide marketing professionals and brand owners with clear guidance when promoting brands or products on social media platforms has been released by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB).

For example, if a Twitter user is paid by a brand to use Twitter to promote a product, then the brand owner must ensure that the Twitter user includes the #ad hashtag within their tweet. This makes it clear to consumers that the message or advertisement has been paid for.

The objective of the guidelines is to provide practical steps to help marketing professionals abide by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. In turn, this will provide transparency to consumers who engage in social media activity.

The IAB advises that three key steps should be followed. Brand owners and marketing practitioners should make sure that the publisher of a message discloses that the payment has been made. They should ensure that the authors have adhered to the terms and conditions of the chosen social media platform, and also ensure that the content adheres to the Code of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code.

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