Advertising Standards Authority

The ASA handles complaints about advertising in the UK and publishes its rulings by name, which is the part that stings. For creators the trigger is straightforward: if a brand paid you, gave you the product, or had any control over what you posted, the audience has to be able to tell it is an ad before they engage with it. Labels have to be obvious and plain, which in practice means ad or advert at the front of the caption instead of a hashtag buried under a fold. Disclosure is the single most common failure in ASA influencer rulings. UK rules apply to UK audiences wherever the brand is based, so a sponsor in another country does not put you outside them.