I really miss the old days of blogging. I loved how blogging was hobbyists talking or writing about their latest Boots or wherever haul or products they loved/ liked/ hated, it seems so wholesome and pure now. As soon as companies and PR realised blogging could be commercialised, that was the death of it. They either went on to become 'influencers' or else the good ones disappeared because they were so frustrated with the change to the landscape.
For me, posters on this forum talking about purchases/ product recommendations etc is the closest thing we have to old school blogging.
*100% agree*
This is how the ASA define an Ad:
Know when you’re advertising
It’s important to have a clear understanding of when content posted on social media counts as ‘advertising'. If it falls within the ASA’s remit, the CAP Code in its entirety will apply, and there are many different rules that could apply depending on the types of claims in the post, and on the product being advertised.
When a brand gives an influencer a ‘payment’ (i.e. any form of monetary payment, free loan of a product/service,
any incentive and/or commission or a product/service has been given free), any resulting posts promoting the brand become subject to consumer protection law enforced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). When a brand also has editorial control over the content, the ASA can apply the CAP Code as well.
NB - my bold text. ‘Any incentive’ is a wide definition to me.