It looks like identifying sponsored content on Instagram is going to get a lot easier if trials for a new tagging system prove successful.
The social platform has rolled out the feature to a select number of influencers, which will help identify the posts that are the result of commercial partnerships. An outline of the feature from Instagram reads:
"The new tool will allow a creator to quickly tag the business they have a relationship with. The post or story will appear with a sub-header that reads, “Paid partnership with,” followed by a tag to the business partner’s account. This makes the nature of the relationship more transparent for the community. When the tool is used, both the creator and business partner will have access to Insights for that post, making it easier to share how followers are engaging with these posts."
Instagram have said that with a wider rollout will come “an official policy and enforcement guidelines,” that will follow “in the coming months.”
The ramifications for not revealing when content is an ad or not varies across the world. One of the more severe cases involved lawsuits against the organisers of Fyre Festival who breached regulations by having influencers like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Emily Ratajkowski create paid posts about the event without full disclosure.
Image: @songofstyle which includes the new tag.
