Well, Instagram’s certainly been dominating headlines as of late. First, they announce the release the long awaited ‘Archive’, and now in another effort to improve user experience, have released a ‘Paid Partnership Tool’, which requires influencers and online personalities to indicate which posts have been paid for by sponsors.
Well not entirely released just yet, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
In the eyes of many, this has been long overdue, with transparency said to be essential for fostering a more honest and fruitful relationship between brands, influencers, and the community.
It comes on the back of a report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in April, wherein 90 influencers, brands and endorsers were issued reminders to comply with regulations. Among which is the need to disclose which posts that have been paid for.
You can learn more about UAE law with respect to the matter of influencer sponsorship here.
Here’s a little glimpse of the new spec applied to regular posts as well as stories.
Now on to the more important question. Has it reached the UAE? Well, not yet. For the time being the feature is being tested amongst a handful of content creators, as shown with Aimee Song above. But it might not be long before the same is rolled out and enforced across the board.