When Stealth Ads Move to Social Media

intermediate1 min readtechnology · media · business · psychology

Disclosure labels on native advertising can disappear from social-media previews. The source illustrates this with AT&T’s 5G ad, whose publisher-page labeling was absent from the shared card.

THE IDEA

Just when you thought things were already bad, stealth ads moved to social media.

[Figure 9.10: Advertising from AT&T on the website of the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/wp/2018/12/14/the-dawn-of-the-5g-world/)]

A native ad about 5G technology appeared on the website of the Washington Post. The Post did a decent job making the warning label prominent and visible. AT&T’s blue logo stands out on the right side of the screen, and you don’t need a magnifying glass to find the words “Content from AT&T Business” at the top. But a funny thing happens when ads migrate from the publisher’s site and land on social media as cards—those little boxes we scroll through in our feed. That blue AT&T logo and the words “content from”? Poof. Gone. Kaput.27

[Figure 9.11: Warning labels disappear when paid content goes social. (Reproduced from Amazeen and Vargo, “Sharing Native Advertising on Twitter,” 927.)]

The figure captions are included here, but the screenshots themselves are not.

When to use it

When evaluating news articles shared on social media, be aware that they may be sponsored content rather than independent journalism.
Marketers should ensure that native ads retain clear disclosure labels when shared on social media to maintain consumer trust and transparency.
Regulators might require social media platforms to preserve disclosure labels when content is reshared from publisher sites.
Consumers should critically examine the source of content before engaging with it, especially if it appears in their social feed without obvious advertising markers.

FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE

In practice

AT&T 5G Native Ad on Washington Post vs. Social Media

On the Washington Post website, an AT&T native ad for 5G technology displayed a clear blue logo and the label 'Content from AT&T Business.' When the same content was shared on social media as a card, these disclosure elements were removed, making it appear as regular editorial content.

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A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Put it to work.

How can you identify native advertising on social media when disclosure labels are removed?
What ethical responsibilities do social media platforms have to ensure users can distinguish paid content from organic posts?
Think of a time you may have been misled by an advertisement that was disguised as regular content. What cues could have tipped you off?