The FTC’s Endorsement Guides: Being Up-Front With Consumers
Endorsements are an important tool for advertisers, and they can be persuasive to consumers. But the law says they also have to be truthful and not misleading. The FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising are guidelines designed to help advertisers of all stripes and in any medium – TV, print, radio, online, podcasts, social media – make sure that they meet this standard. For example, advertisers are advised that using unrepresentative testimonials may be misleading if they are not accompanied by information describing what consumers can generally expect from use of the product or service. In addition, the Endorsement Guides let endorsers know that they shouldn’t talk about their experience with a product if they haven’t tried it, or make claims about a product that would require proof they don’t have. The Endorsement Guides also state that, if there is a connection between the endorser and the marketer of a product which would affect how people evaluate the endorsement, the connection should be disclosed. The Guides are not regulations but if advertisers don’t follow the Guides, the FTC may decide to investigate if the practices are unfair or deceptive under the FTC Act, in which case the FTC may decide to bring a lawsuit.
The FTC revised its Endorsement Guides in June 2023 to keep them up-to-date with the ways advertisers now reach consumers to promote products and services, including through social media and reviews. The Guides point out that marketers using these new techniques and media are subject to the same truthful advertising laws to which other forms of advertising have always been subject. That means, among other things, that people who are compensated to promote or review a product should disclose it.
- Rytr ( )
- USA Student Debt Relief, FTC v. ( )
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- Verkada Inc., U.S. v. ( )
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- The Bountiful Company ( )
- CRI Genetics, FTC and State of California v. ( )
- TruthFinder, LLC, FTC v. ( )
- Hey Dude Inc., FTC v. ( )
- Roomster Corp ( )
- Rejuvica, LLC., FTC v. ( )
- Smoke Away, U.S. v. ( )
- Fashion Nova, LLC, In the Matter of ( )
- Google LLC and iHeartMedia, Inc., In the Matter of ( )
- ZyCal Bioceuticals Healthcare Company, Inc. ( )
- Vision Path, Inc., d/b/a Hubble Contacts, U.S. v. ( )
- Gravity Defyer, FTC v. ( )
- Jason Cardiff (Redwood Scientific Technologies, Inc.) ( )
- FTC Announces Crackdown on Deceptive AI Claims and Schemes ( )
- FTC Announces Tentative Agenda for September 19 Open Commission Meeting ( )
- FTC Takes Action Against Security Camera Firm Verkada over Charges it Failed to Secure Videos, Other Personal Data and Violated CAN-SPAM Act ( )
- Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials ( )
- CarShield, Nationwide Seller of Vehicle Service Contracts, to Pay $10 Million to Resolve Federal Trade Commission Charges of Deceptive Advertising ( )
- FTC Acts to Stop Debt Relief Scheme Targeting Spanish-Speaking Student Loan Borrowers ( )
- FTC Issues Third Report on E-Cigarette Advertising and Sales in the U.S. ( )
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- FTC Issues Notice Regarding Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Informal Hearing ( )
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- FTC, California Obtain Order Against DNA Testing Firm over Charges it Made a Myriad of Misrepresentations to Consumers to Entice Them to Buy Ancestry Reports ( )
- FTC Warns Two Trade Associations and a Dozen Influencers About Social Media Posts Promoting Consumption of Aspartame or Sugar ( )
- Online Shoe Seller Hey Dude, Inc. to Pay $1.95 Million for Violating FTC’s Mail, Internet, and Telephone Order Rule and Suppressing Negative Consumer Reviews ( )
- FTC Announces Tentative Agenda for September 14 Open Meeting ( )
- FTC, State Partners Secure Proposed Order Banning Roomster and Owners from Using Deceptive Reviews ( )
- FTC Takes Action Against Makers of Sobrenix Supplement That Deceptively Claimed to Reduce Alcohol Cravings, Relied on Fake Endorsements ( )
- Federal Trade Commission Announces Proposed Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials ( )
- FTC Acts to Stop Owner, Marketers of ‘Smoke Away’ from Deceptively Claiming Products Enable Users to Quit Smoking ( )
- Federal Trade Commission Announces Updated Advertising Guides to Combat Deceptive Reviews and Endorsements ( )
- FTC Suit Leads to $16.7 Million Judgment Against Principals and Celebrity Endorsers of Real Estate Investment Training Program ( )
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- We’ll pay you to give our new rule a good review( )
- FTC says CarShield shielded consumers from the truth about limitations of its vehicle service contracts( )
- $43.5 million in redress and debt cancellation to servicemembers, military spouses, and other consumers due to multiple missteps by education provider Career Step( )
- How is a student debt relief outfit allegedly misleading consumers? Let us count the ways. ( )
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- The DNA of privacy and the privacy of DNA( )
- Read these 2023 FTC best sellers to be a better seller in 2024( )
- FTC and California allege CRI Genetics made deceptive DNA accuracy claims, falsified reviews, and used deceptive dark patterns( )
- Staff warning letters to trade associations and influencers convey some salty words about sweetener posts( )
- FTC says what was “invisible” about Invisible Mask was proof for its anti-virus claims( )
- Influence peddling? Bogus “brand ambassador managers” scam prospective influencers( )
- Sharpening the focus on blurred advertising aimed at kids: Staff Perspective suggests a comprehensive approach( )
- FTC says this Dude didn’t abide – by the law, that is( )
- For business opportunity sellers, FTC says “AI” stands for “allegedly inaccurate”( )
- FTC challenges deceptive claims and “selfie” news and reviews for alcohol treatment product( )
- “I’m not a smoker, but I play one in ads”: FTC files first smoking cessation case under addiction treatment law( )
- FTC and endorsements: Final revised guides, a proposed new rule, and an updated staff publication( )
- Spanish-speaking consumers targeted with bogus earnings claims, FTC alleges( )
- Chatbots, deepfakes, and voice clones: AI deception for sale( )
- Informal Hearing on Proposed Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials - February 13, 2024February 13, 2024
- Open Commission Meeting - September 14, 2023September 14, 2023
- Open Commission Meeting - October 20, 2022October 20, 2022
- Protecting Kids from Stealth Advertising in Digital MediaOctober 19, 2022
- Open Commission Meeting -May 19, 2022May 19, 2022
- Green Lights & Red Flags: FTC Rules of the Road for BusinessAugust 15, 2019
- In Short: Advertising & Privacy Disclosures in a Digital World May 30, 2012
- Oral Remarks of Commissioner Melissa Holyoak at the Open Commission Meeting on September 19, 2024 ( )
- Concurring Statement of Commissioner Melissa Holyoak Regarding Verkada, Inc. ( )
- Statement of Chair Lina M. Khan in the Matter of Smoke Away ( )
- Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Wilson Regarding the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Fake and Deceptive Reviews and Endorsements ( )
- Remarks by Commissioner Christine S. Wilson on the Policy Statement on Education Technology and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and the Request for Public Comment on the Amendments to the Endorsement Guides ( )
- Statement of Commissioner Alvaro Martin Bedoya Regarding the Request for Public Comment on the Amendments to the Endorsement Guides ( )
- Statement by Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter Regarding the Request for Public Comments on the Amendments to the Endorsement Guides ( )
- Statement of Chair Lina M. Khan Regarding the Endorsement Guides Review ( )
- Majority Statement of Chairman Joseph J. Simons and Commissioners Noah Joshua Phillips and Christine S. Wilson Regarding Final Approval of the Sunday Riley Settlement ( )
- Statement of the Commission in the Matter of Teami, LLC ( )
- Keynote of Commissioner Noah Joshua Phillips at ANA/BAA Marketing Law Conference - The FTC and the Digital Marketplace: Highlights from the Last Year ( )
- Statement of Commissioner Chopra Joined by Commissioner Slaughter Regarding Sunday Riley ( )
- Alo, LLC d/b/a Alo Yoga (endorsement claims) ( )
- Commission Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements ( )
- Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division Annual Conference Keynote Address ( )
- Remarks at the Association of National Advertisers’ Advertising Law & Public Policy Conference ( )
- Statement of Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, Commissioner Julie Brill, and Commissioner Terrell McSweeny - Federal Trade Commission v. Genesis Today, Inc., Pure Health LLC, and Lindsey Duncan ( )
- Keynote Address of Chairwoman Edith Ramirez ( )
- A Type of Amplified Word of Mouth Marketing ( )
- FTC Policy Statement Regarding Advertising Substantiation ( )
- E-Cigarette Report for 2015-2018 ( )
- Social Media Bots and Advertising: FTC Report to Congress ( )
- Blurred Lines: An Exploration of Consumers’ Advertising Recognition in the Contexts of Search Engines and Native Advertising: A Federal Trade Commission Staff Report ( )
- Effects of Consumer Testimonials in Weight Loss, Dietary Supplement and Business Opportunity Advertisements (the Second Endorsement Study) ( )
- The Effect of Consumer Testimonials and Disclosures of Ad Communication for a Dietary Supplement (The Endorsement Booklet Study) ( )
- E-Cigarette Report for 2021
- E-Cigarette Report for 2019-2020
- The Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers ( )
- FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking ( )
- Soliciting and Paying for Online Reviews: A Guide for Marketers ( )
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- Divulgaciones 101 para influenciadores de los medios sociales ( )
- Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers ( )
- Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses ( )
- Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising ( )
- Consumer Review Fairness Act: What Businesses Need to Know