Instagram to Make It Clearer When Influencer Posts Are Paid Ads

The article discuss a new initiative by Instagram to make ads more transparent by posted by by marking the posts with a "paid partnership" tag.  So when an "influencer" posts and tags a brand within their posts, Instagram will confirm with the brand if the influencer was paid to post and mark the post as "paid partnership".

There are many bloggers and "influencers" who have massive following on various social media platforms. Some of the items that the bloggers or celebrity references on their posts can be naive posts because they really liked a product, restaurant, and etc. However, if they were provided with incentives from companies to promote products, bloggers and celebrities are responsible for disclosing that their posts are sponsored. It is getting harder for consumers cannot make a clear distinction between advertisement and regular postings. This can damage consumers' trust in the brands and influencers. Consumers are looking for quality postings that can add value and not to be deceived by what could have been sponsored postings.

It should be the brands, advertisers, and influencers responsibilities to ensure that consumers/viewers are aware of the paid postings. Although some viewers may dismiss the post as soon as they see "paid partnership" sign on posts, but quality sponsored postings that can provide value to the readers will be read/viewed and can help to create better brand perception by becoming more transparent.

http://adage.com/article/digital/instagram-make-clearer-influencer-posts-paid-ads/309401/