This summer I went to Albania.

Like most Balkan nations, Albania is a beautiful country with a rich and bloodied history. From Greeks to Macedons. Orthodox to Ottomans. Communists to Capitalists. Albania has seen them all. And right now, it’s reckoning with its latest coloniser.

Instagrammers.

By the end of the Albanian civil war in the late 90s, the country was ranked the 4th poorest nation in the world. In 25 years, its stock has risen more than 100 places. It has even earned the title ‘emerging upper-middle economy’. This is in part down to the country’s open-armed approach to tourism.

At a time when Europe’s holiday hotspots debate tough anti-tourism legislation (Tenerife). Or point a water gun in the face of holidaymakers (Barcelona). Albania extends the laurel wreath. Business owners work hard for your custom. Every restauranteur, hotelier or tour guide operator asks, “Can you leave a good review”?

So, here goes.

Albania is brilliant but it isn’t ‘boujee’.

This is a problem because it’s what the Instagrammers are selling. We fall for the promise of Europe’s lost paradise – # I can’t believe it’s not Bali – and leave disappointed. The reality, Albania is ¾ of the promised menu.

They have cool beach clubs, but every 3rd bed is broken. They have white beaches, but they’re pebble, and jam packed. They have crystal-clear waters, but if you point the phone in the other direction, it’s coke cans and a JCB.  

As I lay on my broken sun lounger it occurred to me that advertising has the same problem. Every product or service is “award-winning”. Statements without substantiation. A world where ‘reality’ hides behind the Ts&Cs. Is there truth to HG Wells’ claim that ‘advertising is legalised lying’?

In 2023, the ASA received 39,034 complaints. 21,000 of these were online adverts. 89% posted from an organisation’s own website or social media account.

It’s the final frontier in the wild west of advertising. Where misleading claims linger. This is where Instagrammers in Albania play. But the reality is, even the big kids are doing it.  

This year, Nationwide received 281 ASA complaints for its ‘A Good Way To Bank’ campaign. It claimed they weren’t closing branches. In fact, many branches did close, and they even turned to reduced trading hours. Pretty Little Thing, Shell, Huel, Ladbrokes, Müller and Etihad also joined them on the naughty step.

It’s not good for business. People stop trusting you. It’s not good for the porte-monnaie, your campaign gets pulled. And worst of all, you might even attract the attention of the dreaded deinfluencers.

The only way to avoid Albanian Burani on your face is to tell the truth in your advertising.

But make it fresh, creative and surprising.

Gëzuar!