Influencer marketing disclosure in Finland: KKV guidance

Finnish cafés and salons often trade a meal or a service for a Reel. That swap does not escape consumer law. When the product or service is received for advertising, it is a material benefit — and it must be labelled as commercial content.[1]

This piece summarises Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV) Consumer Ombudsman guidance updated in 2025 for neighbourhood businesses and creators. Always check the Ombudsman’s own current materials before you run a campaign.

Suomeksi: Vaikuttajamarkkinoinnin merkintä: KKV:n ohjeet.

1. Why a gifted meal is advertising

A free plate is still a commercial benefit when the visit exists so that content will promote the venue. The same rule applies to a haircut, a gym month or any other service handed over for advertising. Cash is not required for the post to count as marketing.

Barter is still advertising even with no cash. Calling the Reel “organic” or “just a review” does not remove the commercial purpose when the creator received the meal or service in exchange for that content. Hidden advertising is not allowed under the guidance.[1]

Promobeez is not a party to the barter. The platform makes the introduction only. The business and the creator own the exchange, the visit and the disclosure on the post.

2. What KKV 2025 guidance requires

Marketing must clearly disclose its commercial purpose and the party on whose behalf it is carried out. Consumers should understand, without detective work, that the post is advertising and which brand benefits.[1]

The 2025 update tightens expectations for influencer formats: Stories, Reels, feed posts and reviews that follow a gifted visit all fall inside the same principle. If the creator received a material benefit for advertising, the commercial nature must be stated in plain language on the publication itself.

Disclosure is not only a compliance checkbox. Experimental work has found that micro-influencers who disclose sponsorship can produce higher purchase intentions than macros who do not — honesty and fit can travel together.[2]

3. Exact labels to use

KKV guidance points to clear commercial labels that name the brand. Soft phrases such as “collab,” “thanks” or a brand tag alone are not a substitute for a plain advertising label.

• When a marketing agreement exists, use Advertisement [Brand].
• When a product or service was received for advertising without a formal agreement, use Advertisement/Gifted [Brand].

Replace [Brand] with the business name consumers recognise — the café, salon or gym on whose behalf the post runs. Agree the exact string in the pre-visit message so the creator does not invent a softer label on the day.

Most neighbourhood barters sit in the second bucket: a meal or service for content without a long form marketing contract. In that case Advertisement/Gifted [Brand] is the safer default. If you later put a written marketing agreement in place, switch to Advertisement [Brand] for those posts.

4. Visibility from the first screen

The label must be visible as soon as the consumer sees the publication. It must remain visible throughout. It must not hide behind “read more,” collapsed captions or a second swipe.

Put the disclosure where the first frame of a Reel or Story already shows it — spoken on-screen text or a caption that is not truncated out of view. On feed posts, place it at the start of the caption, not after a wall of hashtags. If the platform truncates text, the commercial label still has to be in the visible portion.

Businesses should check the live post, not only the draft. A label that was visible in the creator’s notes and then buried behind “more” on publish fails the visibility test the guidance describes.

5. What to agree before anything is posted

Lock the disclosure phrase before the visit. A café collaboration rarely needs a PDF; it does need a clear message both sides can scroll back to.

At minimum, write down the exact label, the deliverable (for example 1 Reel + Stories), the posting window and whether the business may reuse stills. The fuller pre-visit checklist — reuse rights, what happens if nothing is posted, and how to keep the thread short — is in what to agree in writing before anything is posted.

Remind both sides that Promobeez only introduces. Disclosure wording and posting remain the business–creator responsibility. That boundary keeps expectations honest when a Reel is late or a label needs a fix. Where this fits into a restaurant's wider marketing: how to promote a restaurant in Helsinki.

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