Many influencers earn a large portion of their income from paid skincare advertisements. However, this will soon have to change. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced that from 1 July 2022, there will be a new law banning influencers from being paid to promote skin and healthcare products. Therefore, it will be illegal to receive cash or gifts to promote health and skincare products, including supplements, protein powders, vitamins, sunscreens, skincare for acne, medicines, and medical devices
It is understandable why the TGA would set a law like this. Back in 2015, Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson, who made a career out of claims she cured her brain cancer through a healthy lifestyle of clean eating, vitamin supplements, and therapy, made headlines when it was revealed she never had cancer in the first place. This obviously shocked her followers, many of who were cancer patients that had abandoned their treatment to follow Gibson’s methods.
While the ethical reasoning behind this ban is clear, it spells out big implications for marketers and influencers alike. Small businesses that may not have the cash for large-scale advertising may rely on smaller influencers to gain traffic and get their products recognized through the influencers’ network. As such, they may have to consider other ways to market their business. Influencers who built their career based on giving testimonials and recommending products may find all their hard work gone to waste.
There are arguments that advocacy for transparency suggests that consumers are too dumb to make an informed decision before buying into a product. Should consumers be the ones bearing the responsibility of sifting out accurate information, or should that be on marketers to ensure that no false advertising occurs?
Chelsea (Tries To) Market 
2 responses to “Influencer Bans”
Consumers definitely shouldn’t be the ones having to search for truth in these type of advertisements. Influencers and social media marketing in this sense should definitely (!) be held to the same standards and laws that other traditional methods are. I like that you included these posts from Instagram that include discount codes as it shows that it all comes down to making money.
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I agree! Businesses and marketers are the ones who should know their products/services the best, therefore it is definitely their responsibility to relay accurate information to the consumer. Companies should not make use of influencers to make outrageous claims that they would not otherwise put in a direct advertisement of their product.
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