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Ogilvy UK (The British branch of one of the worlds largest advertising, marketing and public relations agency) has announced that it will no longer work with influencers who edit their faces or bodies in sponsored social media images. Citing a “duty of care as marketers,” in a bid to combat social media’s “systemic” mental heath harms.
Many hope that this will help the UK Government to pass a new ‘Digitally Altered Body Image’ Bill which is currently struggling in its second review.
The ban applies to all parts of the Oglivy UK Group including the likes of clients including Boots, Tesco, Dove, Coca-Cola, British Airways, Nestle and more.
Ogilvy UK plans to roll out this initiative in stages allowing for influencers to ‘adjust’ their editing practicing… If the legislation is passed the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will be tasked with creating the label and defining when it should be used. The ad regulator has previously issued a warning to “avoid applying filters to photos or videos which are directly relevant to the product being advertised, and which are likely to exaggerate the effect the product is capable of achieving.”
In 2017, 88% of girls ages 11-21 surveyed said they wanted adverts which had been airbrushed to say so
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the impact is real and it isn't a secret. In an internal document that was revealed, it stated Facebook is aware of the harmful effects these apps have on women. The document reported, "thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse" and "among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13% of British users and 6% of American users traced the issue to Instagram."
However, this issue extends beyond teenagers. "Children and adults of all ages have confided in me and shared that they are ashamed of posting photographs of themselves without the use of filters," says Dr. Leela R. Magavi, a Hopkins-trained psychiatrist and regional medical director for Community Psychiatry and MindPath Care Centers. "I have assessed some teenagers, men, and women who have discussed the idea of getting plastic surgery to look more like the filtered version of themselves," she says.
Here's hoping for the bill to be passed and positive shift in social media marketing!
Help Dr Luke Evans MP & the new Body Image Campaign #recognisebodyimage by signing the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/599952 - listen to his appeal:
[Sources: Pretty Little Marketer - In The Style - Women's Agenda]
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