Background: McDonald's - aka Maccas, aka Mickey D's - is arguably the most famous fast food chain in the world. In Oz, there are around 970 Maccas restaurants, and more than 1.7 million customers visit restaurants every. single. day. 

What happened: They've made it pretty far on their own, but that doesn't stop them partnering with major celebs like Travis Scott or Michael Jordan...or smaller influencers, like SA radio station SAFM. Unfortunately, it's the little guys who have got them in trouble. 

What else: An SAFM radio host shared a pic of some gifted Maccas on his Instagram, without saying #ad or #sponsored. Maccas argued it wasn't spon-con - it was just the radio host posting some free food. But, the Ad Standards ruled Maccas broke the Code of Ethics by not adhering to "distinguishable ad" rules.

So what's the key learning?

💡Influencer marketing has become serious business. In fact, 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations when purchasing a product. As influencer marketing becomes more popular, the Ad Standards is cracking the whip even harder. 

💡A Code of Ethics launched earlier this year forces influencers to be treated like other traditional advertisers, which means they need to disclose commercial relationships with a #ad or #sponsored. 

💡So far the Ad Standards has really come for influencers. Bachie OG Anna Heinrich got into hot water over forgetting to write #ad, and so did beauty blogger Rosalia Russian. But now, we're starting to see the brands behind the partnerships cop heat. There'll be more where this came from.