We’ll forgive you for missing the tiny detail in one of Sophie Cachia’s recent Instagram posts that has seen her called out by fans and watchdogs alike.
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The Survivor star regularly shares life updates and family snaps on her account, along with the odd sponsored post and brand deal.
With a solid history of influencer deals behind her, Sophie should know exactly how to post branded content without getting into hot water.
WATCH: Mummy blogger Sophie Cachia splits from husband Jaryd
But fans spotted a dodgy detail in one of her recent posts where she appeared to be promoting tech brand Cygnett and now she’s in trouble with Ad Standards.
So what did she do wrong? Sophie failed to disclose that a recent Instagram Story she posted about charging cables of all things was a paid ad.
“Found my baby!!! @cygnett Nobody charges my phone like this cord here,” she captioned a snap of herself holding the cable.
“Whenever I lose it, it’s devastating (aka Bobby steals it for his iPad) I will neverrrrrrr go back to any other cord.
“Not spon (sponsored), just simply life changing when you need your phone constantly & charged SO fast.”
She included a link to the brand’s website too, alerting savvy fans to the fact that Sophie probably had an incentive to post about it.
WATCH: Mummy blogger Sophie Cachia live streams birth
One such fan made a complaint to Ad Standards, the Daily Mail reports, noting that the Survivor star has an advertising deal with Cygnett.
“Sophie is obviously getting paid to be an ongoing ambassador for this product/brand and should clearly display that it is a paid post,” the complaint read.
That kicked off a formal investigation into the post, with Ad Standards finding that Sophie had indeed breached the Aussie advertising Code of Ethics.
The code requires advertisers (influencers included) to make it clear when they post branded content, which Sophie appeared to flout when she labelled her post “not spon”.
In Sophie’s defence, Cygnett have come out and said the Story she shared wasn’t specifically part of their paid advertising agreement.
The brand claimed it was not “requested or supported in any way by Cygnett” and hadn’t been listed in their content calendar, so maybe Sophie really just liked the charging cable.
But the brand added, “If an influencer decides to post without permission or knowledge of a brand, why is the brand held responsible?”
Meanwhile Sophie hasn’t commented on the drama, but fans are calling for all influencers to be honest about brand partnerships and when they’re paid to promote products.
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