Instagram post by Love Island star wearing Pretty Little Thing was not obviously identifiable as an advertisement

The ASA found that an Instagram post by Love Island star, Molly Mae Hague in a Pretty Little Thing coat was not obviously identifiable as a marketing communication and was therefore in breach of the CAP Code. Like many other retailers, Pretty Little Thing claimed that the post in question was an “organic feed post” and was outside the scope of their contractual agreement.

However, the ASA disagreed and told Pretty Little Thing and Molly-Mae Hague that they were required to ensure that any future posts were obviously identifiable as marketing communications, for example by including the hashtag “#ad”.