Bloggers Be Warned! Internet & Affiliate Marketers Take Heed! New FTC Guides.

In a world where many virtual marketers are struggling to compete for business, the FTC is making changes that will affect blog monetization and research claim sales for years to come. Some will say this regulation is past due, as this subject has not been addressed by the FTC since  1980, though other will say that these guidelines will affect affiliate marketing business as we know it today. The following is the link to the guidelines on the FTC website as well a quick explanation in clear terms:

Released October 5, 2009
FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials
Changes Affect Testimonial Advertisements, Bloggers, Celebrity Endorsements
- http://ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

Clarification of the FTC Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising:
Where some would have you believe that the new FTC Guidelines pertains to all blogging, affiliate and advertising types, if you read the actual guidelines, they clearly state and pertain to those endorsement advertisements and endorsement testimonials. This is to protect consumers from those advertisements that make above average claims that the general consumer market does not experience.

Advertisements
The FTC guide states “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”.

Published Testimonials, Endorsements, Research, Advertisements
Bloggers and “word-of-mouth” marketers must disclose their connection to the seller of a product or service if they are paid to endorce / review. The same for any that state in an ”advertisement to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the company, the advertisement must disclose the connection between the advertiser and the research organization”.

Celebrity Endorsers
FTC states that “celebrities have a duty to disclose their relationships with advertisers when making endorsements outside the context of traditional ads, such as on talk shows or in social media”.

Although some may find the FTC involvement a violation of the free market, others consider the small changes to reflect “honest business”. These new guidelines have been enforced to eliminate “false or misleading claims” and the FTC states that any situation presented to them will be evaluated on a “case by case” basis. Protect yourself by making sure that any of your reviews, testimonials, research or advertisements that make ”above-average” claims also have the “average” results as part of the realistic expectations for the consumer. If average results are not available or clear, then consult with your lawyer to confirm compliance to the FTC Guides.