The use of celebrities to promote goods and services is nothing new. The practice has evolved over the ages to take advantage of new and innovative forms of media, dating from print advertising through to the current era of social media influencers. While the early years of the Internet may have presented the perception that the Internet provided a sense of anonymity and that no real rules applied to commercial messages transmitted online, we now know that this is not the case. Someone is watching, and in the case of Web-based advertising, one key observer is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

One of the most popular and effective means of web-based commercial promotion is the use of social media influencers. These are individuals who have the power to affect purchasing decisions in the marketplace by virtue of their authority, knowledge, position or relationships with their respective audiences or communities. These influencers usually have large followings on YouTube, Amazon, Instagram, Twitter or other popular social media platforms and blogging sites. Consequently, there is a powerful incentive for a company to employ an influencer for promotional purposes.