site.btaBulgarian Association of Advertisers Appeals for Ethics, Integrity and Responsibility in Advertising

In connection with the increased public interest in commercial communication on social media where influencers are involved (influencer marketing), the Bulgarian Advertisers Association (BAA) appeals to all advertisers to adhere to ethics, integrity and responsibility. The association condemns bad practices such as not indicating branded content and not respecting ethical standards in communication, the organization said in a position paper sent to BTA on Friday.

BAA pointed out that it is part of the National Self-Regulatory Board (NSRB), and its members comply with recommendations for influencer marketing. The recommendations were adopted to ensure effective protection of consumers and the public from unethical forms of commercial communication. Particular attention is paid to commercial communication of product categories such as cigarettes, alcohol, energy drinks, gambling, given the need to protect the most vulnerable group in society - children, the association said.

The organization noted that according to the definition adopted in the NSRB Ethical Code, "any content created by an influencer that promotes a brand and/or product/service is considered a commercial communication under two conditions - the presence of control by the advertiser over the content and payment to the influencer or other consideration. The key elements are recognizability and signage, where the communication content should be created in a way that would not mislead the audience as to its commercial nature, namely - immediately signifiable, easily noticeable, adjacent to the content, clearly explained and easily understood, BAA explains. It is recommended to use the "#" sign (hashtag), to indicate the name of the brand/advertiser and in addition to use words in Bulgarian or English describing the nature of the agreement between the advertiser and the influencer: e.g. #advertising/ad #sponsored/sponsored, #free samples/free samples, #in partnership with/in partnership with, etc. In addition to hashtags, branded content can also be tagged via the social platform settings (Branded Content).

As particularly important, the BAA highlighted the principle of responsible communication, in which not only advertisers but also influencers should know the best European practices for responsible marketing and respect the ethical rules of the advertising industry, of which, according to the organization, influencers have also become part.

Through the good practices of "influencer marketing" that BAA members adopt and use, the association wants to set an example of ethical and responsible communication on social media for all advertising businesses in Bulgaria, the organization's position said.

The Sofia District Prosecution Office has initiated a self-inquiry regarding a video published on social media by a Bulgarian pop folk singer, who is advertising a powdered energy product, Sofia District Prosecution Office spokesperson Nikolay Nikolaev told BTA.  The influencer shows viewers how to snort energy powder, which resembles illegal drug intake. The day before, the Health Ministry, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, the Bulgarian Drug Agency and the Consumer Protection Commission took action on a report about the online sale of unauthorized products known as "energy sniff" and "energy drink alternative".