By: Kheng-Liang Tan
Effective from 29 Sep, sponsored endorsements on social media may now have to be disclosed as part of the post under new guidelines proposed by the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore.
The guidelines now “prohibit false reviews and engagement” and that disclosures are “required of sponsored messages that appear on social media”
The ASAS has seen 91 complaints on advertisements in 2015 compared to 45 in 2014. Such feedback include misleading “discounts and rates… false depictions of products… or questionable claims about product efficacy”.
Those who do not comply with the such risk may face adverse publicity through the publication of details of the outcome of ASAS’ investigation. Further action may also be taken under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act.