Youtuber, rapper and boxer KSI has had an Instagram advertisement for JD Sports banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
Following a complaint and investigation, the advertising regulator ruled that the social media post was not ‘obviously identifiable’ as a marketing communication.
The clip saw the influencer promote trainers in a bowling alley and arcade, starring in a video part of a wider campaign for JD Sports entitled ‘King of the Game’.
The fashion brand responded to the ASA’s investigation by stating their belief that the inclusion of ad labels such as ‘#ad’ was only required if ads were not already ‘obviously identifiable’ as such.
“They added that, before it was posted on KSI’s Instagram account, the video itself had already achieved wide reach on account of its prior appearance as a paid-for ad in other media, including in TV spots with particularly large audiences and as a billboard ad in public locations with high footfall,” the ad regulator said.
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KSI himself stated that he believed that the references to JD Sports in the post’s caption, and the brand’s logo featured in the video’s closing shot, made clear to consumers that the video was an excerpt from a TV ad.
Nevertheless, the ASA ruled that the language used in the ad ‘exclusively focused’ on the JD Sports brand itself, rather than its relation to Mr Olatunji.
The regulator added: We therefore considered those elements did not amount to a clear statement of the commercial relationship between Mr Olatunji and JD Sports, which would be immediately understandable to consumers.
“We welcomed Mr Olatunji assurances that the post had been amended to include “#ad”. However, at the time the ad was originally seen, the commercial intent behind the post was not made clear upfront and the ad was not obviously identifiable as such. We therefore concluded that it breached the Code.”
