undisclosed ad
CommonPaid promotional content that has no disclosure label, deceiving the audience.
Distinct from native advertising because there is zero disclosure. The deception is total. 'Gifted product' without disclosure also counts in most jurisdictions.
Real-world examples3 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | She posted about that brand three times in a week with no hashtag. That's an undisclosed ad. | Repeated brand mentions with no disclosure signal a paid relationship that is not being revealed. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 02 | The FTC fined that company for paying celebrities to post undisclosed ads. | A brand faced regulatory consequences for running a paid influencer campaign without required disclosures. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | Getting gifted stuff and posting about it without saying so is still an undisclosed ad. No exceptions. | Free products require disclosure just as much as direct payment does. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- A creator promotes a product they were paid for with no disclosure.
- Calling out a post that looks organic but is clearly sponsored.
- Discussing FTC compliance or advertising transparency.
Do not use it when
- There is a disclosure label, even a small one.Use “paid-partnership” instead.
- The creator received a product as a gift but was not paid and disclosed it.
Undisclosed ad vs paid partnership
undisclosed ad
An undisclosed ad is paid content with no disclosure, making it deceptive and illegal.
VS
paid-partnership
A paid partnership is the same content with proper disclosure, making it legal.
Origin and context
The concept predates social media but became prominent with the rise of influencer marketing. The FTC began actively pursuing undisclosed influencer ads around 2017, issuing guidance and enforcement actions through the early 2020s.
- First seen
- late-2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/undisclosed-adUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0