Our generation of tireless scrollers has come to accept advertising as the price to pay to avoid, well… having to pay. We expect most online content to be free. Whether it’s a travel blog or a hotel mirror selfie, if you’re not paying whoever created that content, you should be okay with them selling your eyeballs to somebody who will. 

 

But is there a difference between an ad placed with a media company and a sponsored post from an influencer? Both are trying to sell you something. Both will have a wide reach. Both will regularly spark criticism for their portrayal of beach bodies. However, not everyone sees influencers as an acceptable advertising medium. When British vlogger Elle Darby emailed Dublin hotel The White Moose asking for a free stay in exchange for publicity, Paul Stenson, the owner, shamed her on Facebook.

 

Strangely enough, other establishments don’t seem so reluctant to give out free stuff to social media personalities. Unlike Stenson, social media-friendly hotels look beyond the influencer and see armies of followers ready to book a hotel after seeing it on Instagram. So being bratty and requesting free accommodation isn’t the worst crime. It’s failing to disclose the commercial nature of a post.

 

A report by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirms social media figures are regularly sanctioned for lack of transparency in their sponsored content. And there’s some bad news for influencers relying on disclaimers like: “I got this luxury holiday for free, but this is my honest opinion!” Under ASA regulations, getting something for free equals compensation. All it takes is three characters to get someone off the hook: #ad. So it’s time for travel influencers to start hashtagging properly and they might be surprised by how much their followers appreciate honesty.