If you hire celebrities or influencers to talk up your brand or if you hold contests with promotional tie-ins to social media, it might be time for a proper-disclosure check up.
That’s because the Federal Trade Commission, the agency that enforces U.S. truth-in-advertising laws, appears to be sending get-tougher signals.
Late last month, the FTC updated the “What People Are Asking” page for its Endorsement Guides for the first time since 2010. The FTC’s basic message — that material relationships between brand and endorser on social media must be “clearly and conspicuously” disclosed — hasn’t changed. But FTC is now getting more specific with detailed guidance about social media issues that weren’t on the agency’s radar five years ago.
Read the Full Article on Marketing Land
IZEA FEATURED
From Ted Murphy, IZEA Founder & CEO
Ted Murphy, founder and CEO of IZEA, a company that acts as middleman between brands and social media influencers, says the marketing industry needs to do a better job of self-regulation.
Many marketers don’t know the basic rules. Murphy said a 2014 survey sponsored by his company showed that 29% of marketers were completely unaware of the disclosure rules and that only 10% were aware of and understand the FTC guidelines.
“I think the real issue is the lack of awareness and education among the marketing community,” Murphy said. “We must continue to educate the community, and marketers must take responsibility to know, at the very least, that the disclosure question is one they should be asking.”
