FTC Issues Guidelines On Blog Testimonials

The FTC on October 5 announced that it has approved final revisions to the guidance it gives to advertisers on how to keep their endorsement and testimonial ads in line with the FTC Act. Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect.

The revised guidelines also address the growing issue of blogger endorsements. Thus, while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.

The moral of the story? Once again, just because the format is different, don’t assume traditional rules don’t apply.