‘The FTC disclosure guidelines: An in-depth exploration of what affiliates and merchants need to know’ – Marketing Land

Rae Hoffman says, “The Federal Trade Commission disclosure laws are increasingly becoming a point of frustration and confusion for affiliates, bloggers and merchants across the United States.

Back in 2009, the FTC started releasing guidelines governing the use of endorsements and testimonials online. The goal of the law was to force disclosure of material connections between advertisers and endorsers, allowing consumers to know when a blogger, affiliate or celebrity stood to gain something from recommending a product to their audience.

As new media for disseminating content have developed, and as the FTC has gained an increased understanding of various styles of promotional methods and compensated content online, the guidelines have been updated and expanded multiple times — most notably with the release of its “Dot Com Disclosures” guidelines in 2013 and a comprehensive update of its “What People Are Asking” page in 2015.

While the guidelines are increasingly expanding when it comes to endorsements, reviews, sponsored posts, sensational claims and influencer campaigns”.

The FTC disclosure guidelines: An in-depth exploration of what affiliates and merchants need to know

Marketing Land