Irish Creators Are Driving Discovery. Sponsored Posts Still Have a Trust Problem.

At a glance

• IAB Ireland and RED C research published in September 2026 found 72% of adults value authenticity in creator content, while just 17% regard sponsored creator content as authentic. [1]
• The same research found 68% consider transparency about paid partnerships important, but only 21% think creators are transparent about commercial relationships. [1]
• Ireland’s CCPC and Advertising Standards Authority say commercial influencer posts must be instantly recognisable, including gifted items, affiliate links and promotion of an influencer’s own business. [2][3]

The problem is not influence. It is uncertainty.

A Dublin ceramicist can reach a new customer through a 30-second review. A neighbourhood restaurant can fill a quiet Tuesday through a creator’s video. A beauty professional can demonstrate a technique instead of buying another anonymous banner ad. These are useful forms of discovery—until the audience is left guessing whether the enthusiasm is a personal opinion, a paid placement or a commission-linked recommendation.

The gap is now measurable. IAB Ireland’s Creator Effect research, conducted with RED C Research and presented in September 2026, found that 72% of Irish adults say authenticity matters in creator content, but only 17% feel sponsored creator content is authentic. On commercial transparency, the difference is nearly as stark: 68% value it, while only 21% think creators are transparent about paid relationships. [1]

Those numbers measure perceptions, not an audit of every Irish influencer’s compliance. They do not establish that 83% of sponsored posts are false. What they do establish is a business problem: audiences may discover a product through a creator while reserving judgment about the recommendation itself.

The research also identifies what can restore confidence. Honest reviews that describe positives and negatives were the largest reported trust driver, cited by 47% of adults. Clear paid-partnership disclosure and appearing independent rather than excessively commercial were each cited by 32%. [1] In other words, a glowing recommendation is not automatically more persuasive than a qualified one.

What must an influencer disclose in Ireland?

The answer is straightforward: if a post promotes a product or service for a benefit, the commercial relationship must be clear immediately. Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) jointly advise using a prominent primary label such as #Ad, an appropriate platform-provided paid-partnership label, or #Gifted in the limited circumstances in which it applies. The label belongs at the beginning—not hidden at the end of a caption or behind “see more”. [2][3]

A benefit is broader than a fee. It can include commission, discounts, free or loaned goods, meals, trips, invitations, company shares or prospective business. This also applies when an influencer promotes a company they own, partly own or have a personal commercial connection with. A contract is not required for the rules to matter. [2]

Paid, gifted, affiliate or own-brand: four everyday cases

Paid video: A local skincare shop pays a creator to demonstrate a product. Put #Ad clearly at the start of the post or use a sufficiently clear platform advertising label. In video, a visible disclosure should appear at the beginning, and it should be communicated to the audience at an appropriate point. [2]

Unsolicited gift: A creator receives a product without a request for coverage and chooses to feature it. The joint CCPC/ASA guidance permits #Gifted where the brand has not influenced the post; if the brand requests or shapes the content, use #Ad instead. This is an area where regulators’ underlying approaches differ slightly, so the safest response when uncertain is to disclose prominently. [2]

Affiliate link: A creator earns a share of purchases via a code or link. The CCPC says the post should be clearly labelled #Ad; adding #Affiliate alone is not a substitute for a primary disclosure. [2]

Own brand: A creator announces a new class or product that they sell personally. It remains commercial content. Their bio or a vague #OwnBrand tag alone is not a sufficient substitute for clear advertising identification. [2]

The same guidance covers short-lived Stories, audio, reposts and videos. A sequence of clips is not a single disclosure loophole: each commercial item needs an appropriate label. Brands are responsible for checking that the creators they work with disclose commercial posts correctly. [2][3]

A Dublin creator and small business owner review a project together. Illustrative AI-generated editorial image.

A visible #Ad label is necessary. It is not a truth certificate.

An advert can be clearly identified and still mislead. The CCPC explicitly warns that correct labelling does not excuse false or deceptive statements. [2] A claim about a product’s performance, price or availability must be defensible on its own merits, regardless of how obvious the sponsorship is.

Ireland has moved beyond guidance alone. In February 2026, the CCPC published details of compliance notices against Conor McGregor and Suzanne Jackson concerning failure to disclose the commercial nature of Instagram content. [4] Those notices illustrate regulatory attention to hidden promotion; they should not be read as proof that creator marketing as a whole is unlawful.

A stronger campaign brief therefore separates three things: the creator’s genuine experience, the advertiser’s substantiated claims and the commercial arrangement. A restaurant should not script praise for dishes a creator has not tried. A builder should not let a short video imply a certification it does not hold. A creator should be able to say what was good, what could improve and what was provided free of charge.

Safegram’s decision to connect creator service listings, verified business profiles, messaging and Safegram Exchange is relevant here because discovery and purchase need not be disconnected experiences. A viewer who likes a local service should be able to understand who offers it, what is being sold and whom to contact. Safegram’s verified-only advertising policy adds an identity threshold for paid promotion; it does not remove the need for #Ad disclosures, evidence or consumer checks.

AI adds another question: who actually made what we see?

The IAB Ireland/RED C study found 72% of adults say human-generated creator content matters, while four in five believe creators should clearly disclose when artificial intelligence has been used to create or substantially alter content. [1] That is a consumer expectation reported by a survey—not, by itself, a statement that every minor AI edit is legally required to carry the same label.

For creators, the distinction is practical. Using software to trim pauses or clean up audio is not the same thing as presenting a fabricated product result, synthetic person or AI-generated testimonial as firsthand experience. A plain explanation—such as “AI-generated illustration” or “This demonstration includes AI-created footage”—can prevent viewers drawing the wrong conclusion.

The platform and the creator share an interest in making the provenance of media easier to understand. Safegram’s emphasis on verified identity and its proposed live-capture “Real Safegram camera” approach respond to related problems, although identity verification and any future capture tools are not complete guarantees of authenticity. The more important principle is that audiences should not have to reverse-engineer a clip to discover whether a person actually tested the item being recommended.

Platforms are already strong at reach. The harder task is lasting trust.

Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are powerful discovery environments with sophisticated creator tools, recommendation systems and established advertising infrastructure. Their scale and specialist strengths are real. Independent commerce platforms and storefront tools, including Etsy and Shopify, provide other routes for products and merchants. The experience can nevertheless fragment when a shopper encounters a video on one service, checks a seller on another, asks a question through a third and eventually pays elsewhere.

Safegram’s longer-term competitive thesis is not that it already has comparable audience reach or inventory. It is that social discovery, local communities, verified people and businesses, creator services, bookings and products might be more useful when they share a persistent trust layer. That is an ambition to test through execution—not a claim of proven market leadership.

The challenge is familiar to every new platform: verification must be meaningful, reviews must be earned, complaints must be handled, and disclosure cannot disappear just because a brand and creator operate within the same app. Trust is not a badge displayed once. It is a sequence of decisions a user can understand.

Local commerce benefits when a promotion is specific, accountable and easy to verify. Illustrative AI-generated editorial image.

A practical playbook for Irish creators and businesses

Before a creator posts, the business should confirm in writing what is supplied, what is paid, whether commissions apply, which claims can be supported, what the creator genuinely experienced and how the commercial relationship will be disclosed. This protects creative independence as well as the brand.

For the creator, the first frame, first words and caption matter. Put the appropriate primary ad label where an ordinary viewer notices it without clicking. If the post includes a recommendation, describe any meaningful limitations as well as benefits. If a link earns a commission, say so; if a product arrived unexpectedly, explain it plainly. For any substantially AI-created element that could influence perception, disclose that too.

For businesses, think beyond the impression count. A measurable, trustworthy campaign could mean qualified enquiries, confirmed bookings, repeat customers or genuine reviews after a completed service. A high-view video that leads to complaints about unclear prices is not automatically a success.

For shoppers, a short pause can do more than another scroll. Ask: Who is actually selling this? Is the recommendation paid or affiliate-linked? Did the creator experience the product or service? Are the price, cancellation terms and contact details clear? And can the seller be contacted through a reliable channel? A verified profile can help with the first question, but it cannot answer all five.

What the latest research ultimately says

Creator-led commerce is not a passing curiosity. IAB Ireland’s study found that creator content prompts product research, discovery and purchases among Irish online audiences. [1] The opportunity is genuine, especially for businesses that lack national advertising budgets but can demonstrate something useful in a compelling way.

Yet the next competitive advantage may be less about louder promotions and more about honest ones. When creators tell the audience why they are speaking, businesses back up their claims, and platforms make identities and offers easier to check, recommendations can become more than fleeting attention. They can earn a reason to be believed.

Frequently asked questions

Do Irish influencers legally have to use #Ad?

Irish commercial influencer content must be clearly identifiable as advertising. A prominent #Ad is the simplest route; an appropriate platform-provided label can also work where it is instantly clear. The CCPC and ASA warn against hiding disclosures behind “see more”. [2][3]

Does a free or gifted product need an advertising label?

Generally, disclose gifts you feature. Under joint Irish guidance, #Gifted may be appropriate for an unsolicited gift without brand influence; when a brand requests or shapes the post, #Ad is required. [2]

Is #Affiliate enough when someone earns a commission?

No. The CCPC advises that affiliate marketing be clearly marked #Ad. #Affiliate is a secondary label and should not replace a primary disclosure. [2]

What if the influencer owns the business?

Promoting your own or partly owned brand is commercial promotion. The audience must be able to recognise it immediately; a bio disclosure or #OwnBrand alone is not enough. [2]

Do creators have to disclose AI-generated content in Ireland?

The requirements depend on the content and applicable law. The September 2026 IAB Ireland research reports strong consumer expectations for disclosure of AI-created or substantially altered content; that survey result should not be mistaken for a blanket legal rule covering every AI editing tool. [1]

Does verification mean a sponsored post can be trusted?

Verification can help establish the identity of an account or business. It does not guarantee that a review is independent, an advertising claim is accurate or a transaction is risk-free. Check the disclosure, seller details, evidence and purchase terms.

Keep informed

Follow Safegram News for evidence-led coverage of digital trust, creator commerce and safer online communities. Creators and Irish businesses can also explore Safegram to learn how verified profiles and Safegram Exchange aim to make local discovery and commerce more accountable.

Sources and reporting notes

[1] IAB Ireland and RED C Research, “The Creator Effect”, press release published 14 September 2026 (referring to research presented in September). https://iabireland.ie/press-release-new-irish-research-the-creator-effect/

[2] Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and Advertising Standards Authority, “Influencer advertising and marketing” joint guidance. https://www.ccpc.ie/information-for-businesses/guidance-for-businesses/consumer-protection-guidance/influencer-advertising-and-marketing

[3] Advertising Standards Authority, “Social Media Influencer Guidance”. https://adstandards.ie/social-media-influencers/

[4] CCPC, “Influencers, retailers and pubs breach consumer laws: details of new CCPC enforcement actions”, 12 February 2026. https://www.ccpc.ie/news-and-media/news/article/2026/02/12/influencers--retailers-and-pubs-breach-consumer-laws--details-of-new-ccpc-enforcement-actions

[5] CCPC and ASA, data-sharing agreement to strengthen social media influencer regulation, 25 August 2025. https://www.ccpc.ie/news-and-media/news/article/2025/08/25/ccpc-and-asa-sign-data-sharing-agreement-to-strengthen-social-media-influencer-regulation