ACCC issues first ever fine over hidden influencer deals

Australia’s competition regulator has fined online printing service Photobook Shop $39,600, in its first financial penalty against a brand for using influencers without disclosing a payment or gift.

The ACCC issued an infringement notice after Melbourne-based Photobook Shop provided products valued between $50 and $400 to influencers on 107 occasions, in return for reviews that explicitly instructed them not to disclose they had received the products, instead presenting them as organic, unpaid endorsements.

The company, trading as Tomsen Consolidate, was also penalised for making “substantive edits” to an influencer’s review of its AI assistant tool, removing references describing it as “a bit fiddly” and “confusing” to use.