Digital Celebrities Rely On New Trade Group to Set Ad Disclosure Rules
A Facebook Inc., employee demonstrates the new video feature with Instagram during an event at Facebook Inc. headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., on Thursday, June 20, 2013.
Photographer: David Paul MorrisAndrew Fitzpatrick, online-famous for his humorous beat-boxing videos under the pseudonym 80Fitz, makes money from work for brands as an influencer, incorporating their products into his videos. The problem? There aren’t clear rules for how to say he’s been paid.
"I’ve done 25 to 30 campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and I think over the years the disclosure practices have literally never been consistent," he said. "Sometimes they want a hashtag, sometimes they don’t require any disclosure at all." The hashtags vary, too, from the clear #ad label to the more vague #partner.