Regulation of product placement in Europe and the United States

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Stealth advertising is of course banned in both Europe and the United States, meaning that any type of advertising must be labelled as such . On social media, therefore, the use of the hashtag #ads has so far prevailed , which shows users whether content is sponsored or not. As a result, YouTube is also regulated in terms of advertising and product placement, and creators must comply with various laws and articles.

In Britain, for example, the “Advertising Code” applies. It states that ads must be clearly identifiable. In 2014, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned videos from an Oreo campaign on YouTube because they were not clearly marked as advertising . The rule of labelling by “Ad”, “Advertisement”, “Advertising Feature” or similar therefore applies to all creators.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is responsible for regulating the online advertising and marketing market. US laws require influencers to disclose their relationships with brands. The guidelines require that the disclosure be made directly in a video and not just in the video description.

In Europe, as in the United States, it is the obligation of all influencers to be absolutely transparent with their followers and to label advertisements, partnerships and product placement as such. In general, brands do not have to worry and can rely on the expertise of their partners. However, the labeling requirement should not prevent influencers from honestly reviewing products and expressing their opinions on them.

Age restrictions must also be taken into account. For example, alcohol, tobacco and gambling cannot be advertised directly to users under 18 years of age . Marketers in these sectors must be aware of the age and demographics of their target audience. Although social networks ask for the age of new users when creating accounts and often require a minimum age, this does not mean that children will not bypass this requirement.

In the United States, the three major alcohol suppliers have implemented a voluntary vp safety email database advertising and marketing code. Among other things, they agreed to place advertising only in media where the minimum age ( 71.6% ) is over 18 years.

Some regulation also applies to the food and beverage industry, primarily affecting high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products. Read on Kolsquare's blog to find out what food trends are on TikTok and what to look out for in the food and beverage industry in relation to influencer marketing.

Ideas for product placement with influencers on YouTube
Product placement is an effective way to promote products on YouTube with the help of influencers. In line with classic YouTube content, unboxing videos and product reviews are particularly suitable for this. Tutorials are also particularly suitable for product placement, as users often ask YouTube for advice and help, for example, for all everyday things.

Giveaways can also be marketed very well via YouTube. However, you need to consider what kind of collaboration you intend with influencers. Giveaways can be an idea, especially if nano- and micro-influencers give a positive response. Feel free to read about the dos and don'ts of free giveaways on the Kolsquare blog.

Live videos, in particular, are something you should consider for your influencer marketing campaign. Many platforms are launching new features to make live streaming even simpler. Live videos are also popular on YouTube and can be saved as on-demand videos for later.