Mrs Hinch’s Instagram posts BANNED after cleaning influencer missed key detail in story
MRS Hinch’s Instagram posts were banned after the cleaning influencer missed a key detail in her story.
The bar came after the tidying wizz failed to make clear that she was advertising her own products through the massive social media platform.
Mrs Hinch, whose real name is Sophie Hinchliffe, ran into issues on two separate occasions as fans didn’t think it was obvious she would make money off such posts.
The two uploads have now been banned – with the cleaning sensation agreeing to follow the rules in future.
Mrs Hinch, 33, boasts 4.6 million followers on Instagram alone – with the masses hanging out for her household tips.
But she ran into trouble over posts twice in January last year.
In the first instance, the mum-of-two took to her story to show off a notebook filled with writing.
The video snapped the front cover of the notebook which read “Mrs Hinch Life in Lists” while she stated: “In my own notebook of course.”
The story also had a text that said: “If you’re a little mad like me tap here for yours.”
The link took fans to Amazon, where the product was up for grabs.
The notebook was Mrs Hinch’s own product, which saw the post garner 34 complaints.
Those who objected the post said that it was not obvious Mrs Hinch was advertising her own notebook.
More complaints were laid against the 33-year-old over a separate post on Instagram.
The upload showed off heart-shaped bowls of varying sizes.
The text read: “On a right roll here. Even put some ‘nibbles’ (In my own hinch heart bowls, I love em) #hinchxtesco.”
Viewers again complained that the mum had not been clear that she was advertising her own product line – which was a partnership with Tesco.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recently weighed in on both posts – and banned them from being shared again.
When it came to the notebook, the ASA said the money-making intent of the post was “ambiguous”.
‘NOT IMMEDIATELY CLEAR’
However, it said it would have expected the post to have included a prominent label identifying it as an ad.
The ASA noted that the line “Mrs Hinch Life in Lists”, and her statement that it was “In my own notebook of course”, only appeared at the end of the ad.
It said: “We considered the ad was not immediately clear as to Ms Hinchliffe’s commercial relationship with the notebook.”
The cleaning sensation confirmed the notebook was her own design, and said she thought it was obvious she was trying to sell her own product.
However, she said, she was happy to include the word “ad” on future posts where she’s promoting her own products.
With the heart-shaped bowl post, the ASA said: “Whilst that text may have given some indication to consumers that Ms Hinchliffe had been involved in designing the bowls, it was not explicitly made clear, and we considered that it was also not clear that she received royalties from their sale.
“We also understood that the ad was similar in style to non-ad content created by Sophie Hinchliffe who, as a home cleaning influencer, often shared lifestyle tips on Instagram.
“As such, we considered that it needed to be made explicitly clear when content such as this, where she offered advice to her followers, was linked to a commercial deal that benefited her financially.”
‘ORGANICALLY’
Both Mrs Hinch and Tesco confirmed that she had been receiving royalties from the products that formed part of her range.
However, they said the ad did not form part of their agreement, which had expired more than two months earlier.
The cleaning wizz explained that the ad was created “organically” and not as part of any obligation to market the products.
She said the post was similar to her style of content that were not ads, which she created when relaxing or cooking around the home.
Mrs Hinch agreed to label such posts showing products she had designed “ad” in future.
The cleaning wizz has garnered millions of fans online since 2018, with many sharing their own tips and tricks they learnt from her.
Some fans recently shared the best hacks to remove pen marks from furniture using stuff you’ve already got at home.
Others revealed the 20p hack that removes grim yellow marks on toilets – and why you should never use bleach.
And just days ago fans scrambled to get their hands on cut-price duvet sets – as £26 buys were scanning for just £6.50 at the till.