Amazon Seller Services Private Limited - AMAZON FASHION

Recommendation: Not Upheld | Medium: General Public

The ASCI had approached the advertiser (Amazon Seller Services Private Limited) and the influencer (Anaita Shroff Adajania) for their respective responses in addressing the objections raised in the complaint. The advertiser and the influencer were also offered an opportunity for a telecon with the ASCI Secretariat, which they did not avail and the advertiser submitted their written response. The advertiser in their response stated that, “Ms. Anaita Shroff Adajania came as a guest for our creator connect and did a styling workshop for the creators and was paid a professional fee for doing the workshop. The reel was not part of the deliverable and it appears that she shared it on her handle as an event that she attended and interacted with creators”. The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) viewed the Instagram advertisement (https://www.instagram.com/p/DBoVD35vnLP/?hl=en&img_index=1) and considered the complaint and the advertiser’s response. The CCC noted that there was no response from the influencer. The CCC discussed that the advertiser has clarified that the influencer's post does not serve as an endorsement of Amazon or any of its products or services. The advertiser has no role in the creation of the post. In the post, the influencer has focused on sharing her personal experience attending the styling workshop event. There was no indication that the influencer was trying to market or promote Amazon as a brand. This clarification emphasizes that the post was an organic and unpaid reflection of the influencer’s personal involvement in the event. It was not a paid advertisement and there was no intention to create any brand association with Amazon. Therefore, the post should be seen as a personal narrative rather than a commercial endorsement, and Amazon was not involved in any promotional aspect of the content shared. Based on these observations, the CCC concluded that the Instagram advertisement is not in contravention of ASCI Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media. This complaint was NOT UPHELD.