5 minute read
Hidden advertising is gradually becoming more widespread across social media and digital platforms - a phenomenon that often does not register as advertising at all, yet can still shape people’s choices.
In today’s digital environment, advertising no longer always stands apart from content. More and more often, it blends into everyday posts, appearing as a personal experience, a recommendation, or just another ordinary story.
“Hidden advertising can take the form of a Reel showing an influencer’s daily routine, a post about a personal experience, or content framed as advice,” says digital marketing specialist Lidia Grigoryan. “The most common form today is influencer marketing, where a product is presented as part of someone’s personal experience, while in reality it is a paid collaboration.”
According to her, this format is often more effective than direct advertising. “People tend to trust personal experience more than traditional advertising because it feels more natural,” she adds.
A 2018 study published on Cornell University’s arXiv platform found that only 10% of advertising content on social media is clearly identified as advertising.
At the same time, more recent research suggests that younger users are gradually becoming more critical of this kind of content.
According to a 2026 study, around 72% of Gen Z respondents said they trust the opinions of real users more than advertising presented by influencers.
The influence of hidden advertising is also rooted in psychology.
“When advertising is hidden, the critical-thinking filter that usually helps people assess information does not fully activate, and the message is more likely to be received as reality or as sincere advice,” explains psychologist Tigranuhi Ajemyan.
According to her, the effect can linger even without conscious awareness. “A person may not remember where they saw a particular product, but when the moment of choice comes, it feels more familiar and more acceptable,” she says.
Another mechanism at work is identification. When a favorite movie character or a trusted blogger ‘casually’ uses a product, the brain often does not process it as advertising, but as part of that person’s experience. Consumers may trust the product more because they associate it with a familiar figure and the positive emotions linked to them.
Specialists say this format can also raise ethical concerns, which is why transparency remains important.
“In my opinion, content should be clearly labeled as advertising,” says Lidia Grigoryan. “Transparency builds long-term trust. Even when a post is marked as ‘advertisement’ or ‘partnership,’ it does not weaken the content - on the contrary, it makes it more professional.”
Armenia does not currently have a separate, clearly defined regulatory framework for hidden advertising. Existing legislation covers advertising in general, but in the context of social media, enforcement remains limited.
“In Armenia, unlike in some other countries, it is not mandatory to indicate that content is advertising,” says influencer and marketing manager Lucy Grigoryan. “In countries such as the United States, legislation requires creators to clearly label content as ‘paid ads’ or ‘partnership’ when publishing it.”
She adds that the Armenian market itself also plays a role. “Since audiences in Armenia generally do not respond well to direct advertising, brands often try to integrate it into content in a more organic way. That also creates room to avoid explicitly labeling a post as advertising.”
Hidden advertising has become one of the defining tools of modern media, influencing consumers not through overt persuasion, but through trust, familiarity, and identification.
But when advertising becomes indistinguishable from content, users may lose the ability to make fully conscious choices.
This raises a broader question: are consumers really making their own choices, or are those choices being shaped subconsciously?