A COMPLAINT that an Irish blogger’s filtered photo was ‘misleading’ has been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI).
It is the first time the ASAI has upheld a complaint about a social media blogger for misleading advertising.
The complaint related to a photo on Irish blogger Rosie Connolly’s Instagram account, where she has over 190,000 followers.
The photo, which was also used on Rimmel’s Facebook account, showed the fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger wearing a Rimmel foundation product.
On her instagram post, Connolly wrote: “Trying out the new @rimmellondonire Lasting Finish Breathable 25-hour foundation and concealer today! This foundation has such a stunning finish and is super affordable, as well as having an anti-oxidant formula which is great for problem skin.
“Head to my Snapchat or Insta story to see how I applied it, and how it lasted all day. Great for being on the go, and a 10/10 from me. #FreeYourSkin #Rimmel #LiveTheLondonLook #adHealth.”
The complainant said the ad was misleading as Connolly’s face “had been filtered and photo shopped”.
She said people may purchase the foundation thinking they would achieve the same results if they used the product, but as the image had been altered this would not be the case.
Connolly said that Rimmel had approved the images that she had forwarded to them so the complaint should be addressed to them.
Rimmel said the post was not intended to mislead and had removed it because it did not reflect their values as a brand.
They said all paid accounts will now be monitored to ensure new guidelines are adhered to, which include bloggers flagging up when filters or Photoshop have been used.
Upholding the complaint that the ad was misleading, the ASAI said no action would be taken as the posts had been removed.
They added: “The Committee considered that the use of post-production techniques which exaggerated the effects of an advertised product could mislead and they welcomed the steps the advertisers had taken in removing the posts.”
Details of the complaint were included in the ASAI's second bulletin of 2018, where it was one of 13 complaints out of 16 that were upheld.
