Warning about the risk of being exploited when buying products based on celebrities

Many consumers now tend to buy products from the lure and disguised advertising of celebrities without actually verifying them, leading to buying fake or poor quality products...

On May 26, the National Competition Commission ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ) informed that currently, instead of relying solely on traditional advertising, consumers tend to trust comments from friends, relatives or influential figures on social networks (celebrities).

However, this trust is easily exploited. Many brands, influencers and advertisers have cleverly inserted promotional content into articles, videos and posts without being transparent about the information "this is an advertisement".

Not disclosing commercial purposes makes it easy for consumers to mistake it for genuine sharing, leading to unwise purchasing decisions (especially when they trust celebrities completely without suspecting the motives behind it).

The National Competition Commission affirms that, according to regulations, if business organizations and individuals sponsor influencers to use their images, advice, and recommendations for commercial promotion, they must notify consumers in advance and publicly about the sponsorship in any form.

As for influencers, if they participate in providing information as business individuals, they must be responsible for providing complete and accurate information about the products, goods and services they introduce (including specific content such as quality, uses, price, origin, expiration date, delivery method, payment method, etc.).

In cases where influencers test products themselves and give personal reviews, but the content is inaccurate, unfounded or misleading, they may be subject to administrative sanctions in the field of consumer protection.

If the influencer acts as a third party providing information, they must ensure the accuracy of the information and require the business organization or individual to provide documents proving its authenticity before introducing it to consumers.

“In particular, when receiving sponsorship in any form to introduce products and services, influencers must publicly disclose their sponsorship to consumers to avoid causing misunderstandings about promotional motives,” the National Competition Commission noted.

PHUC VAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/canh-bao-nguy-co-bi-loi-dung-khi-mua-hang-dua-vao-nguoi-noi-tieng-post796919.html