Blog Posts Tagged with Online Advertising and Marketing

Businesses, platforms, social media influencers, and others who advertise or promote products to children online all have a role to play in ensuring that the boundary between advertising and...

In the words of Jeff Bridges’ character in the cult classic "The Big Lebowski," “I’m the Dude or His Dudeness or Duder or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.” He’d also probably...

Advertising keywords are the carnival barkers of the internet. Their job is to shout, “Me, me, me, me, me!” to people searching online for a product or service. If successful, they’ll get prospective...

The Initial Decision in the administrative action challenging allegedly deceptive “free” claims for Intuit’s TurboTax product was just released, and the meticulous 237-page opinion is a must-read for...

What’s on at the FTC? Today – September 7, 2023 – the FTC is hosting a public workshop to consider proposed changes to the Funeral Rule.

The FTC is continuing its assessment of how the Funeral Rule is working for consumers and businesses. The next step: a September 7, 2023, workshop, Shopping for Funeral Services. Check out the just...

The INFORM Consumers Act took effect on June 27, 2023. The FTC has issued staff guidance for online marketplaces and now we have advice for online sellers whose businesses may be affected by the new...

Just because consumers sign up for a membership or subscription doesn’t mean they sign up to get unwanted marketing email. A proposed $650,000 settlement with Experian Consumer Services just filed on...

Companies that use deceptive endorsements and reviews inflict an injurious double whammy. They harm consumers with misleading tactics that subvert their choices at check-out. And they take business...

The INFORM Consumers Act is effective as of June 27, 2023. Online marketplaces, have you taken the steps the statute requires? And is your site ready for scrutiny by the FTC and state law enforcers...

Most people are familiar with the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol and their visits to consumers’ homes to deliver those big checks. In a twist on the familiar scenario, this time the FTC is –...

In the latest action to challenge alleged digital dark patterns, the FTC has sued Amazon for enrolling people in its Prime program without the consumer ’s consent . Once consumers were signed up, the...

Certain businesses in the e-commerce space should mark June 27, 2023, on their calendars. That’s the date a new law – the INFORM Consumers Act – takes effect. The FTC and the states share law...

In the 2014 movie Ex Machina , a robot manipulates someone into freeing it from its confines, resulting in the person being confined instead. The robot was designed to manipulate that person’s...

When consumers dispute the validity of a credit card charge, merchants may hire a “chargeback mitigation company” to dispute the consumer’s dispute. That’s the business of a company called...

To borrow a phrase the Supreme Court coined in a different context, if there is a “fixed star” in the consumer protection constellation, it’s the advertising substantiation doctrine. In place for...

Spend time on social media and video streaming platforms and what will you find? Photos from friends’ vacations, aspirational kale salads, the latest dance fads – and ads for bogus health products...

You may have heard of simulation theory, the notion that nothing is real and we’re all part of a giant computer program. Let’s assume at least for the length of this blog post that this notion is...

It’s for sure you’ve seen ads like this online and in social media. They use a litany of iffy claims to advertise equally questionable products: “drop the pounds” diet pills, IQ-boosting brain...

The announcement of the launch of the FTC’s Office of Technology is an important next-step development in the agency’s commitment to protecting consumers in the digital marketplace. As we look forward...