J2O Instagram ad banned for breaking social media celebrity ad rules

Britvic has been forced to drop its latest campaign in partnership with former Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh after the soft drinks company failed to identify them as adverts.

The owner of Robinsons and 7up teamed up with the reality TV star for an Instagram video which appeared on her Instagram account.

The ad promoted the juice line J2O and showed an image of her with the caption:

“80s vogeuing [sic] x yoga @Houseofvoga. More of my #BlendRecommends with @drinkj2o Spritz to come! #sp”

The hashtag #sp means “sponsored post” but the Advertising Standards Authority said this was not a label that consumers would understand.

The Advertising Standards Authority received one complaint from a member of the public, who challenged whether the video was obviously able to be seen as an ad.

When contacted by the ASA, Britvic Soft Drinks said the ad was one of a series that Mackintosh posted as part of a commercial endorsement for J2O.

They said it was identifiable as an ad because the video’s end frame was branded, included the product name, and showed the campaign hashtag #BlendRecommends prominently.

But the ASA said consumers need to be aware that they are viewing marketing content prior to watching it. This ad was not obviously an ad to the viewer, the regulator said, because the branded shot appeared at the end of the video.

The ad must not appear again in its current form and the ASA told Britvic to ensure future ads were obviously identifiable as such and they made their commercial intent clear prior to engagement.