As of last week, the campaign reached a huge milestone as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) tightened the regulation that filters should not be applied to any social media content if they exaggerate the efficacy of a cosmetic or skincare product being sold on the platform.

There is a common use of filters on all social media platforms from Snapchat to Instagram Stories where filters create a flawless and unrealistic shape and tone of your face. Sasha started the powerful campaign eight months ago after realising she was drastically editing her images and wanted to encourage fellow influencers to showcase their “real skin”, particularly when posting adverts.

This isn’t a new problem in advertising, as brands have been called out for years for overly altering editorial shoots with the use of Photoshop. However, with apps such as Facetune, it is more easily available for anyone to edit imagery to create smoother skin and smaller waists.

TAKUMI Influencer Alex Light, posted back in September 2020 on Instagram that: “Photo editing has been around a long time in traditional media, but it has become mainstream and extremely accessible recently thanks to a slew of dirt-cheap apps that are incredibly quick and easy to use and widely available.” Adding, “I think it would create relief and perspective amongst so many vulnerable individuals who use these images as a benchmark for beauty.”

After Sasha filed for harder action to be taken on filters, the ASA studied two cases where filters had been added to paid content shared by influencers showcasing tanning products. The brands in the ads included Skinny Tan Ltd and Tanologist and both cases were ruled that it was likely to have misled consumers by applying filters that “exaggerated the effect the product was capable of achieving”.

A spokesperson for the ASA shared that it is “an ongoing focus of our work in this area continues to be on raising awareness of the rules and supporting influencers with the guidance and tools they need to help get their ads right. We’re also working closely with the social media platforms who can and will enforce our rulings where an advertiser is unwilling or able to work with us.”

Going forward all content creators must only post imagery with the highest chance of seeing real skin, shapes, and texture within a paid advertisement.

Any ads that break these guidelines will be taken down and banned from platforms. It’s a positive start to the new year as the future now holds an opportunity for brands and influencers to be accountable in implementing these important regulations in their campaigns going forward.

If you would like to find out more about the new ASA Guidelines and how this change will be implemented on our campaigns, please get in touch at hello@takumi.com.

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