We conducted research to see whether or not people understand when a social media 'influencer' is advertising to them. We used various social posts where some were ads, and others weren't, as well as investigating what labels - such as #ad - the public recognises.
The key finding in our research is that ads should be disclosed and clearly labelled - with 'ad' or '#ad' used at a minimum.
You can download our full research on this page. It should be read in conjunction with the full research carried out by Ipsos Mori:
Ipsos Mori research on influencer advertising labelling