New FTC Advertising Guidelines

Earlier this week, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released revised guidelines governing endorsements and testimonials that take effect on December 1, 2009. Among other things, these guidelines say that a blogger that endorses a product or service must disclose compensation received directly or indirectly from the seller of that product or service.

You can review the FTC press release or the full text of the FTC guidelines. If you have questions or need advice on interpreting these FTC guidelines, we encourage you to consult your own legal counsel to help you understand how these changes may affect you.

The Performance Marketing Alliance is a good resource to monitor how these guidelines are impacting the affiliate industry.

Here are some interesting links to some recent press about these new guidelines
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091006-709182.html
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc2009106_866275.htm
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009/10/bloggers-face-11k-ftc-fines-for-not-disclosing-paid-endorsements.html

Posted by Dan Chiss
Manager, Affiliate Marketing