FTC Halts “Results Not Typical” Advertising

The Federal Trade Commission has put a halt to “endorsement and testimonial ads” by companies claiming extreme results for their products while indicating in fine print that the results are not typical. Companies can use this tactic but if they do they must also disclose the results consumers can typically expect.

In recently published revised guidelines covering how the FTC Act will be interpreted, the FTC wrote that “material connections” such as payments or free products between advertisers and endorsers must be disclosed. This rule includes bloggers who are often viewed as independent writers recommending products when, in reality, some are being compensated with money or free products by the product’s manufacturers. (Note: We at ConsumerConnection.com have never succumbed to this temptation because we mainly bitch about products and services that we feel need to be fixed.  Oh, and we didn’t know we could get free stuff if we endorsed it.)

The revised guidelines also indicate celebrity endorsers, as well as advertisers, can be held liable for fraudulent and misleading claims. We sure hope Eva Longoria doesn’t get sent to the big house for not actually using hair color from a box!