Sophie Cachia investigated by Advertising Standards for sponsored posts
Huge blow to influencer Sophie Cachia when advertising watchdog set her sponsored posts for ‘life-changing products’ against standards – and the company blames DIA for it
Influencer Sophie Cachia violated advertising standards with a sponsored Instagram post for a phone charging cable that she described as ‘life-changing’.
Cachia failed to explain that her post was a paid advertisement for tech accessories company Cygnett and even said in her Story that it was ‘not a sponge’.
However, the Ad Standards Community Panel ruled that it was actually an advertisement, noting that Ms Cachia was a Cygnett ambassador.
In an unexpected twist, Cygnett threw Ms Cachia under the bus in response to the Panel, revealing the Survivor Australia star uploaded the post without ‘pre-approval’ and the brand should not be held responsible for her belongings.
Influencer Sophie Cachia breaks advertising standards with sponsored Instagram post for phone charging cable she describes as ‘life-changing’
The watchdog upheld complaints from members of the public in its decision on June 8, determining Ms Cachia’s posts ‘violates Section 2.7’ of the AANA Code of Conduct, which specifically requires advertisers to ensure that any branded content or original advertisements are ‘clearly distinguishable’ to an audience. which is relevant.
Cachia’s post on Instagram Stories shows her holding a charging cable with the caption: ‘Found my baby!!! @cygnett Nothing charges my phone like this cable here.
‘Every time I lose it it destroys (aka Bobby stole it for his iPad) I’ll never rrrrr go back to another cable. Not spongy, just life changing when you need your phone constantly & charged so fast.’
He added a link to Cygnett’s website.
Cachia failed to explain that her post was a paid advertisement for tech accessories company Cygnett and even said in her Story that it was ‘not a sponge’. However, the Ad Standards Community Panel decided it was actually an advertisement, noting that Ms Cachia is an ambassador for Cygnett
A member of the public later complained to Advertising Standards: ‘Sophie is clearly being paid to be a sustainable ambassador for this product/brand and must clearly demonstrate that it is a paid post.’
Responding to the watchdog, Cygnett acknowledged it ‘has an agreement with Sophie Cachia regarding paid brand endorsement on social media’, but said this particular post was uploaded without the company’s ‘prior knowledge’.
Cygnett explains that the post was uploaded ‘outside’ [Ms Cachia’s] paid agreements’ with brands and are ‘not included in the content calendar’, nor are they ‘requested or endorsed by Cygnett’.
One member of the public complained to Advertising Standards: ‘Sophie is clearly being paid to be a sustainable ambassador for this brand and must clearly demonstrate that it is a paid post.’ (Photo: one of the posts Ms Cachia sponsored for Cygnett which was not the subject of the complaint)
Cygnett acknowledged its obligation that all sponsored posts be labeled as such and shifted the blame to its ambassador, adding: ‘If an influencer decides to post without permission or knowledge of a brand, why should that brand be held responsible?’
The Ad Standards Community Panel endorsed the complaint, agreeing that the post was an advertisement but not clearly distinguished by Ms Cachia.
The panel noted that her posts had many of the features of sponsored content that Cachia followers would easily recognize, including a link to Cygnett’s website, product placement in her hands, and glowing endorsements.
However, Ms Cachia created ambiguity by saying it was ‘not a sponge’ and therefore the Panel decided ‘the post cannot be clearly distinguished as an advertisement’.
Cygnett said in response to the Panel that Ms Cachia (seen in Australian Survivor) shared the post without ‘pre-approval’ and the brand should not be held responsible for the items.
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