Avoid These Gaffes in Your Advertising

Lesley Fair, an attorney with the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, wrote an article for a BBB publication describing five key advertising principles companies should keep in mind. They are summarized here.

1. Evaluate ad claims from the consumer’s point of view. Claims may be expressed or implied, but what matters is the net impression left with consumers. Ad copy, visuals, sounds, testimonials, and even what isn’t said are all elements that contribute to a consumer’s takeaway from an ad. Suppose a car that gets 10 miles per gallon is advertised as getting 30 miles per gallon. That would be expressly deceptive. An ad referring to the car as the “Miser” and showing it passing gas station after gas station would imply it’s fuel efficient, also deceptive.

2. Have sound science to back up objective product claims.Companies must have competent and reliable scientific evidence for any health, safety, or product efficacy claims. FTC rules define what constitutes acceptable evidence and what may be overreach. For example, when referring to a cold medicine, there’s a big difference in the level of proof needed to claim it “reduces the severity” of a cold versus “prevents” it.

Read full article and learn more about Deceptive Advertising here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

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• Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

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• How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

• 3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

• And Much More…

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Disclaimer:  This article is provided for informational purposes only. It’s not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Neither the author nor FTC Guardian, Inc. is endorsed by the Federal Trade Commission.