Advertising disclosure

Advertising disclosure means that commercial content must not be disguised as editorial content or a personal recommendation. In Denmark the requirement is in section 6(4) of the Marketing Practices Act: the commercial intent must be stated clearly. If you receive commission, payment or free products for covering something, the coverage is advertising – and the audience must be able to see that immediately, not only after a click or at the bottom of the text.

Affiliate links are covered by the disclosure rules, because the commission is a commercial agreement between you and the store. That applies whether or not you bought the product yourself, whether you mean every word of the review, and whether the link takes up a single line in the article. What decides it is the financial interest: if a click can turn into money, the content must be disclosed. If, on the other hand, you mention a product with no agreement, payment, commission or other financial interest in the sale, it is not advertising.

In Denmark, the Consumer Ombudsman supervises the rules and has published guidelines for influencers and others who market on social media. The recommendation is clear Danish words such as “Reklame” or “Annonce”, placed first – at the start of the post, video or article. Hidden advertising can be reported to the police and punished with a fine, and responsibility can fall on both the person covering the product and the store that pays.