Forum Reprimands The Burger Concept For Influencer Campaign Targeting Children In Denmark

The Forum for Food Advertising has reprimanded a company for using influencers to promote unhealthy food to children for the second time. This latest complaint, upheld in favor of the Consumer Council Tænk, concerns a campaign by The Burger Concept led by influencer Alexander Husum. Although The Burger Concept insists that the campaign was not aimed at children, the company chose to end it a week early.

Getting a response from Husum has proven difficult; he has yet to remove the campaign advertisements from YouTube and Instagram. Since the Forum’s decision, he has remained unresponsive to multiple inquiries, even deleting a comment from a journalist asking for a statement.

Nathalie C. Larsen, a creative director and social media expert, notes that while influencers wield significant power, there is increasing awareness and pressure from consumers regarding ethical behavior in advertising. She hopes more influencers will publicly defend their partnerships, stating a need for accountability in their promotional activities.

Anna-Bertha Heeris Christensen, an academic researching influencer marketing, emphasizes that influencers share responsibility when campaigns miss the mark. She sees a shift in consumer attitudes towards unethical advertising practices, suggesting that this is not merely a trend but a significant market change.

The code of conduct regarding food advertising to children specifies that advertisements should not target unhealthy products at young audiences. Christensen expresses confusion about why companies like The Burger Concept and Kims Chips are not more attuned to these ethical expectations given the current climate.

Calls for stricter regulations grow as the Minister for Business acknowledges the need to examine whether existing laws adequately address these issues, underscoring the importance of corporate responsibility in advertising practices.