Instagram star Mrs Hinch under investigation by advertising watchdog

PA
Updated

The advertising watchdog is investigating Instagram influencer Mrs Hinch over concerns that she did not label posts plugging cleaning products as ads.

Sophie Hinchliffe, 29, from Essex, gives cleaning advice to her 2.5 million social media followers.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirmed it received three complaints in April concerning the labelling of ads within her Instagram posts.

The posts included the products Flash and Febreze, both owned by Procter & Gamble.

Under advertising rules, influencers must make it clear in such posts that they have been paid or rewarded to promote, review or talk about a product in their social media feeds under consumer protection law.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Good Friday my Hinchers! Are you all having a lovely day? 💛🐰 Now .. where do I even begin with this caption 🙈 First of all I’ve always known the strong power of you all when you come together! You’re such an amazing loyal community helping each other, but never in a million years did I think a milestone like this could ever be reached! I never thought I (Soph) would ever become the Sunday Times Best Selling Author!! A book chart that I didn’t even know existed if I’m honest let alone make it to the top. So I wanted to dedicate this post to thank every single one of my Hinchers from the bottom of my heart. I need you all to know that if I can be on a journey like this , you can too, anything is possible! I want you ALL to be so proud of your homes and show them off , every home tells its own story , and if you’ve read my book already you’ll know just how much that means to me. I don’t know about you guys but I used to see a lot of makeup , diets , hair , squats , designer wear on my insta feed daily … but now not so much! If you’re anything like me (as much as I love lashes hair and make up 🤣) my home comes first, and now I feel like this community of just loving the simple things in life (a grey Minkeh 🤣) has grown at a phenomenal rate on Instagram and I’m so grateful to be a part of this huge insta family. So please please my Hinchers believe in yourself , it’s ok to love your “boring life” , I certainly love mine! And I’m so proud you’re all in it! Have a wonderful evening hinching or no hinching , I’m excited to get the wax melts on , my Easter egg out the cupboard , the blanket on the sofa and a TV night with my Jamie , Handsomes and bump. Gretel might even make another appearance 🙄 who knows 😂 all the best my darlings! I owe my journey to you ❤ xxxx #mrshinch #hinchyourselfhappy #hinching #imahincher #hincharmy

A post shared by Sophie Hinchliffe (@mrshinchhome) on Apr 19, 2019 at 12:02pm PDT

It is understood that Ms Hinchliffe was given advice by the ASA on two occasions prior to the investigation on how to stick to the rules.

An ASA spokeswoman said: “I can confirm that we received three complaints in April about Mrs Hinch’s Instagram posts concerning the labelling of ads (where she was posting about products including Flash and Febreze) and are currently investigating.

“We will publish our decision in due course.”

Ms Hinchliffe said: “I take the responsibility that comes with having a large social media following very seriously, and, for me, being authentic and transparent is incredibly important.

“I’m fortunate that brands want to work with me, but I only collaborate with those that I genuinely like and would recommend to people.

“I continue to learn a lot, but feel my community are clear about any content that is part of a commercial partnership, and that which isn’t.

“In fact, I’m overly cautious when it comes to these guidelines and will continue to be.”

Mrs Hinch’s new book, Hinch Yourself Happy, has topped Amazon best-seller lists.

Advertisement