Businesses shelling out big bucks for prime advertising space
are used to paying close attention to content, for the sake of the
bottom line as well as out of respect for consumer law. However, it
may not feel as natural and cost-effective to apply the same
scrutiny to an Instagram caption. Why invest the business resources
when teenagers worldwide can master the art?
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has
recently issued new social media guidelines for businesses which
emphasise the answer repeatedly: as far as the regulator is
concerned, businesses have the same responsibilities on social
media as they do in all other marketing channels. Consumer
protection laws (including, for example, the prohibition on conduct
that is misleading or deceptive, or is likely to mislead or
deceive), apply to Snapchat stories and ads in national broadsheets
alike.
