In June the FTC proposed regulations on endorsement practices that would apply to any consumer endorsements via social media channels. Today, the final guides have been released. They will go into effect on Dec 1, 2009.
We broke down the implications of the FTC regulations on blogger outreach and similar campaigns back in June but as a refresher:
- If a customer writes an opinion or recommendation about a product that is considered an endorsement. They don’t have to use the exact messaging of the advertiser in order to qualify as such.
- Advertisers are liable for false statements made by an endorser.
- Full disclosure is necessary for any material connections between advertiser and endorser (such as payment or allowing them to keep the product.) This responsibility falls on both parties.
- The endorser is also liable for their statements. If they make false claims about the product that can’t be proven both the advertiser and endorser will be responsible.
Sitewire believes that acting with integrity is one of the four tenets of successful social media strategy. All our client campaigns complied with the guidelines before they were proposed. If you have any questions about upcoming campaigns or strategy proposals, please contact us.
You can read the full text of FTC Guidelines here. (PDF format)
