Celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Naomi Campbell were among those who received warning letters from the FTC in April over sponsored Instagram posts, Women's Wear Daily reports.
2017-05-09The 90 letters — which were obtained by WWD's Alexandra Steigrad — were sent to 45 celebrities and the brands they were promoting. The warnings marked the first time the FTC had reached out directly to social media influencers.
The letters were intended to clarify the type of language used to state the post was sponsored (like #ad) and where in the caption it should say that.
"Consumers viewing Instagram posts on mobile devices typically see only the first three lines of a longer post unless they click 'more,' which many may not do," the FTC said when the letters were initially sent in April.
Here are some of the celebrities and brands that got into hot water. For the full list, head over to WWD.
Sean "Diddy" Combs and water brand AQUAhydrate
Let's GO!!! @aquahydrate #balance #hydrate #tryIT
A post shared by DIDDY (@diddy) on Jun 8, 2016 at 3:00pm PDT
Ciara and shoe brand Buscemi
Proud To Be An American. #RedWhiteAndBlue HappyFourth Thnx @Buscemi For Juicy Mans Shoes 🇺🇸
A post shared by Ciara (@ciara) on Jul 4, 2016 at 3:15pm PDT
Heidi Klum and Dunkin' Donuts
A post shared by Heidi Klum (@heidiklum) on Apr 28, 2016 at 7:33pm PDT
Allen Iverson and hoverboard company IO Moonwalkers
Thanks to @io_moonwalkers for my board!! Much love ... #TheAnswer
A post shared by Allen Iverson (@theofficialai3) on Oct 8, 2015 at 4:56pm PDT
Victoria Beckham and skincare brand Lancer
Loving this new contour Décolleté by my friend @drlancerrx kisses from Los Angeles 🇺🇸 X vb
A post shared by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Apr 12, 2016 at 4:39pm PDT
Jamie Lynn Spears and subscription box FabFitFun
A post shared by Jamie Lynn Spears (@jamielynnspears) on Apr 6, 2017 at 11:01am PDT