MediaPost – FTC Raps Warner Bros. For Social Influencer Campaign

July 13, 2016
by Erik Sass, MediaPost

Social media marketing campaigns are supposed to get people’s attention, but this is probably not the kind of engagement Warner Bros. was looking for. The entertainment company is in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission because of a social media influencer campaign that didn’t clearly disclose the fact that the influencers were being paid to promote a video game.

Warner Bros. hired a number of influencers including YouTube star PewDiePie to promote its new Lord of the Rings game, “Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor,” in its own online content, including reviews and “play-through” videos. According to the FTC, however, Warner Bros. failed to comply with the rules governing influencer marketing, which require “conspicuous” disclosures alerting consumers that the opinions expressed by influencers are in fact paid promotions.

Original article here.