The Kardashians are famous for being paid oodles of cash to promote a product, but are they playing by the rules (or rather, the law) when it comes to sponsored posts?
According to Page Six, a letter from watchdog group Truth In Advertising reportedly sent a letter to momager Kris Jenner’s legal team, warning her that they “have found that members of the Kardashian/Jenner family are engaged in deceptive marketing campaigns.”
The group has been meticulously following the Instagram accounts of Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, as well as their younger sisters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and gathered 27 companies – incluing Puma, Calvin Klein, JetSmarter, Fit Tea, Estée Lauder and Karl Lagerfeld – they were working with.
What the group found was “a plethora of posts that do not clearly or conspicuously disclose their relationships with the companies being promoted in the posts as is required by federal law.”
The group has informed Jenner that if the issues aren’t “fully corrected” by Wednesday, the family will be reported to the Federal Trade Commission.
It’s no secret that the Kardashians have been hawking products since Keeping Up With The Kardashians became wildly popular in 2007, but federal law requires that a company and its participants clearly state that the post is sponsored.
“The law is clear and people are not following it, and it’s not being enforced very often,” TINA spokeswoman Bonnie Patten told Page Six.
Social media is becoming the new medium for advertising, and this law is making it even more difficult for a celebrity or person of influence to share a product with followers without being asked, “is this sponsored? Are you being paid to promote this?”
The Fashion Law website broke it down for readers, clarifying what constitutes a sponsored post.
“Is posting a photo an endorsement? The FTC says yes!” The Fashion Law explains.
“A photo is enough to trigger the need to disclose: Simply posting a picture of a product on social media, such as on Pinterest or Instagram, or a video of you using it, could convey that you like and approve of the product. If it does, it’s an endorsement and must be disclosed.”
