Business
Consumer watchdog warns Conor McGregor over failure to disclose Instagram sponsorships
DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by Irish Times, click this post to read the original article.
Conor McGregor has received a compliance notice from the consumer watchdog over his failure to disclose the commercial nature of posts to his Instagram account.
The former mixed martial arts fighter has more than 46 million followers on Instagram.
He was issued with a compliance notice by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) for failing to disclose that products relating to Forged Irish Stout on his account had been “promoted in a paid capacity” without using appropriate disclosure labels or tags, such as Ad, #ad or sponsored.
He was directed “to ensure that, in all future instances, where a trader has paid you to use editorial content in the media to promote a product or service, you make it clear that such promotion is a paid promotion. This includes, but is not limited to, all content forms [such as] stories, reels, posts, collaborations, on all media where you are promoting any product or service including your ‘own brand’ products and services”.
McGregor was told that he had to comply with the directions and requirements from the CCPC by January 1st and warned that his social media channels would be the “subject of further inspection from the CCPC to ensure adherence to these compliance directions”.
A compliance notice from the CCPC compels a business or person to resolve any breaches that have been identified – including any failure to signpost the nature of an Instagram post – and gives them a deadline to do so. If they fail to act in a timely fashion they can be fined up to €5,000 or face imprisonment.
In 2024, McGregor was ordered to pay Nikita Hand €250,000 in damages after a High Court jury found he had assaulted her in a Dublin hotel. Last July, he lost his appeal against the jury finding in favour of Hand.
Social media influencer and businesswoman Suzanne Jackson, who has 297,000 followers on Instagram, was also issued with a compliance order notice for failing to disclose the commercial nature of content related to the Sosu cosmetics brand that were posted to her account.
She was ordered to properly tag all future posts of a commercial nature to ensure transparency. The CCPC told Jackson her social media accounts would be further monitored.
The two compliance orders were among 18 new enforcement actions taken by the CCPC against traders in Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Mayo and Offaly for breaches of consumer protection legislation.
A Circle K outlet on Nassau Street in Dublin 2 and one in Tallaght were issued fixed payment notices for failing to display product prices. The Flannels retail outlet on St Patrick’s Street in Cork was also issued with a fixed payment notice for the same reason.
The Dublin Mint Office, meanwhile, was issued with three compliance notices for what the CCPC said were unfair contract terms, misleading information on its website and a failure to provide essential consumer information on its site.
The Auld Dubliner pub in Dublin 2 was issued with a compliance notice for failing to display a price list, as was Fitzsimons in Temple Bar.
“Whether you’re a retailer, a publican or an influencer, you must comply with consumer law,” said CCPC spokesman Patrick Kenny. “Our officers carry out hundreds of instore and online inspections, sweeps and investigations every year, assessing thousands of products and transactions to make sure consumer rights are upheld across the economy.”
He said teams from the CCPC would “be actively monitoring compliance by these traders. Failure to obey a compliance notice is an offence, and we will prosecute those who do not correct their practices”.
Kenny said the CCPC was looking forward “to the introduction of direct fining powers” and said the “ability to issue significant fines is an essential addition to our enforcement toolkit”.
