Social Media’s vigilantes are out in force - on Wednesday the ASA upheld 25 complaints over Influencer, Jemma Lucy's, Instagram post in association with Skinny Caffe.

The issues were three-fold:

1. Is the post obviously identifiable as an ad?

ASA's Response: a commercial relationship exists between JL and the Brand. The Brand instructed JL on the content in her post. This is an ad and should have been labelled #ad.

2. JL is pregnant - does this ad encourage use of weight loss products in pregnancy?

ASA's response: the ad encouraged consumers, including those who might be pregnant, to use the Brand’s products for weight loss. Attempting to lose weight whilst pregnant is not generally recommended. The ad encouraged unsafe practices and was irresponsible.

3. Does the claim "You can lose up to 7lbs in 7 days with Thermosyn” breach advertising code rules?

ASA's response: health claims that refer to an extreme rate or amount of weight loss like this breach the ASA’s CAP Code.

This post is an obvious and flagrant breach of the CAP Code (and in my opinion a rather concerning one). 25 individuals complained about the post evidencing increased consumer awareness of the issues and the rules.

As the ASA announces plans to team up with ITV and encourage compliance with the advertising codes by Love Island contestants, are we seeing a shift in the ASA's emphasis - tackling the issue at source rather than waiting for complaints? Regardless, it seems the ASA now has an eager, more knowledgeable audience who are willing to catch the culprits red-handed.