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Apple's Christmas advert relies on humans instead of AI
by Samuel Buchmann
Vlog or advert? Study proves effect of hidden influencer advertising
18/12/2025
Translation: machine translated
An EU study shows that many influencer videos are advertising - but poorly labelled or not labelled at all. This is particularly problematic for young people. A tough law is now needed.
A new cream, a new outfit, a snack test: Influencer content is part of everyday life. However, according to a recent European study, what often looks like a vlog often turns out to be advertising - albeit inadequately or not recognisable as such.
Between March and September 2025, the European consumer organisation BEUC analysed around 650 articles on Instagram and TikTok in 12 different countries, including Switzerland. The focus was on articles about fast fashion and foods high in sugar and fat. The result: a large proportion of the posts analysed contained commercial content without clearly identifying it as advertising. In other words, video content that was clearly produced on behalf of the manufacturer.
«Recommended by friends» strategy successful
The articles usually appear as personal recommendations or everyday scenes. References such as «Sponsored» or «Paid Partnership» are often missing or get lost in the design. According to the Swiss consumer organisation FRC, this staging makes it particularly difficult for children and young people to recognise advertising as such. The emotional closeness to the influencers further intensifies the effect.
A common format is haul videos, in which several products are presented at once - as the result of a shopping trip. Advertising clips for soft drinks or sweets work in a similar way, often packaged as «challenges» - without appropriate labelling.
Source: BEUC
Influencing is a billion-dollar market
Influencer marketing has long been a central advertising strategy - and extremely successful. According to a study, the global market has grown from 1.5 to around 28 billion francs in the last ten years. Although this form of advertising is also subject to the Law Against Unfair Competition, it is difficult to control. On the one hand, this is due to the short-lived nature of the content and the partial lack of cooperation between the platforms. In addition, the legal definition of the current law is not clear enough for these modern forms of advertising.
It is also difficult to establish a direct causality between influencer advertising and the purchase of a product, as a Swiss study shows: According to this, only around five per cent of people surveyed said they had made a specific purchase in the last three months based on an influencer recommendation. The effect of advertising lies less in direct purchases and more in long-term awareness of a product or brand.
Law needs to be tightened up, say consumer advocates
Experts are therefore calling for clear and standardised labelling requirements, stricter sanctions for violations and greater responsibility for platforms. This applies in particular to content aimed specifically at minors.
In the EU, the Commission is already discussing the Digital Fairness Act, which is intended to regulate new rules against misleading digital advertising. In Switzerland, there have been several parliamentary initiatives to date, but concrete legislative changes are still pending. Consumer organisations are now calling for existing rules to be adapted and applied more consistently.
Header image: Shutterstock
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
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