MADISON - Truth in Advertising, a Madison-based watchdog group, is making national headlines after releasing an investigation that claims dozens of the Kardashian/Jenner women's Instagram posts are illegal.
In a report titled "Exposure without Disclosure: Cashing In With the Kardashians," the group claims the women are violating Federal Trade Commission guidelines by not disclosing posts as advertisements.
The Kardashians - Kim, Kourtney and Khloe - along with the Jenners - Kylie and Kendall - have more than 300 million Instagram followers combined.
"I don't think people realize that what they've been doing is wrong," said Bonnie Patten, executive director of Truth in Advertising.
Patten said that FTC guidelines stipulate that if an advertisement is not evident to a reasonable consumer, it must be labeled as such. Many of the Kardashian/Jenner Instagram posts, Patten argued, are not obvious advertisements.
"It's very hard to distinguish when they post an ad and when it's just a photograph of an outfit they may like," said Patten.
The group has posted a sampling of 100 posts it believes to be in violation of FTC regulations. Patten said her team has gone through tens of thousands of the women's Instagram posts, and said the 100 chosen are just the beginning.
"It's okay to make a living off of Instagram posts," said Patten. "What it's not okay to do is deceive the consumer."
The ads in question involve a host of brands. "Calvin Klein, Puma, Sugar Bear Hair, Fit Tea, Waist Trainers, high-end jewelry, makeup lines, Estee Lauder... the list goes on and on," said Patten.
Truth in Advertising sent a letter to the Kardashian/Jenner family, and has been in touch with their lawyer, who Patten said has been very receptive. The women have since modified or removed some posts. If the problem is not completely corrected, Truth in Advertising may file a complaint with the FTC as early as Thursday afternoon.
Patten said posts should start with "#ad" to clearly denote an advertisement. She said the problem extends far beyond the Kardashian/Jenner clan, and is widespread on all social media platforms with celebrities and bloggers.
Truth in Advertising said it will continue pursuing other illegal ads.
"This will not be our first investigation," said Patten.
Truth in Advertising believes the FTC will step up efforts to police social media platforms. In March, the FTC took action against Lord & Taylor for paying influencers to post photos of its dresses on Instagram without disclosure.
