Not ideal for the Ireland great
Former Leinster and Ireland centre Brian O’Driscoll was one of 26 influencers served with a compliance notice by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in 2024.
It was found that he had breached consumer law by not making it clear that certain social media posts were for commercial purposes.
O’Driscoll captained Ireland and the Lions during his career, winning 141 caps, and is considered by many to be the country’s greatest ever player.
Since retiring he has found great success in punditry and commercial work, and currently has 370,000 followers on Instagram.
As reported by RTÉ, he was contacted by the CCPC in April 2024, ‘to remind him of his legal obligation’ to disclose the nature of commercial posts, but was then served a notice when he continued to breach the law.
In the CCPC’s 2024 Consumer Protection List, it said: “Brian O’Driscoll was found to have engaged in a misleading commercial practice following an inspection of the individual’s Instagram social media account, whereby there was a failure to use the appropriate labels to disclose the commercial nature of the content published, relating to Zerofit Europe apparel.
“The CCPC served a Compliance Notice on Brian O’Driscoll which took effect on 05 December 2024 directing them to do the following: To amend a prohibited commercial practice under section 55(1)(q) of the Consumer Protection Act 2007, described as follows – Using editorial content in the media to promote a product (where a trader has paid for that promotion) and it is not made clear that the promotion is a paid promotion, whether in the content itself or in any oral, written, visual or descriptive representation in the promotion.”
Popular Cork fitness influencer, Caroline O’Mahony, was also given a notice.
