Weekly Intel Report
Headline: The FTC has rolled out updated guidelines for proper endorsements.
Details: The FTC is cracking down on false or misleading endorsements. The link to the entire document is HERE. Why this matters to you? Simply stated, if an advertiser or endorser presents false endorsements or does not clearly state the relationship with the product, they can be liable for the false claims. Be careful with some of the offers you promote. Recently, we have seen some cases of landing pages falsely claiming results or endorsements. Until all the networks police offer landing pages, there may be risk associated with these offers.
From the report: “…the revised Guides reflect Commission case law and clearly state that both advertisers and endorsers may be liable for false or unsubstantiated claims made in an endorsement – or for failure to disclose material connections between the advertiser and endorsers.”
10 Comments, Comment or Ping
mediatrust
FTC updates endorsement and testimonial guidelines. Must read for bloggers and marketers: http://ping.fm/5Q3e5
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Oct 6th, 2009
affiliatesprout
Weekly Intel Report http://bit.ly/9iUpZ
via @mediatrust
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Oct 6th, 2009
mediatrustpete
FTC updates endorsement and testimonial guidelines. Must read for bloggers and marketers http://tinyurl.com/yccn4p3 #onlinemarketing
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Oct 6th, 2009
PPCpimps
It would be nice if the FTC, when handing down their rulings, would give clear and concise instructions on how to disclose so that it is not left up to interpretation.
Oct 6th, 2009
Trip Foster
More coverage here in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/business/media/06adco.html?_r=1
Oct 7th, 2009
Peter Bordes
IAB Calls on FTC to Rescind Blogger Rules; Questions Constitutionality
NEW YORK, NY (October 15, 2009) — The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB ) today called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to withdraw recently issued enforcement guidance regarding the opinions and commentary of bloggers and other participants in social media, saying the rules unfairly and unconstitutionally impose penalties on online media for practices in which offline media have engaged for decades. In an open letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Randall Rothenberg, the President and CEO of the IAB, called the FTC’s distinction between offline media and online media, “constitutionally dubious.”
this is getting interesting! i never would have seen the IAB taking this kind of stance http://www.iab.net/insights_research/public_policy
Oct 16th, 2009
Peter Bordes
BTW forgot to add this a great example of a association being late to the party and being reactive instead of proactively heading this off.
we as an industry cant wait for regulation to come from a gov body that does not know the ins and outs of our business. we have to get in there ahead of this and help them.
Oct 16th, 2009
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