Earlier today, the Federal Trade Commission issued a press release indicating that after a review of many national television and print advertisements, warning letters have been sent to a number of companies – including some of the largest advertisers in the United States – noting that they had failed to make adequate disclosures in at least some of their advertising. The initiative, entitled Operation Full Disclosure, is intended to enforce regulations that prohibit advertising that misleads consumers.
The FTC’s targets in this operation are disclosures in fine print, those that were hard to read – even though they contained important information for the consumer. The letters warned advertisers they need to make sure disclosures are clear and conspicuous, and reminded advertisers the disclosures should be close to the claims that are being made. They must not be obscure or disguised with font sizes or colors that make it difficult to read, and on television, they should appear for a long-enough period of time and in a manner that will allow them to actually be read and understood. Consumers should not have to search for them!
Included within each of the FTC letters was a request that each of the advertisers respond back to the FTC with specific actions they individually intended to take regarding their particular advertising, in order to remedy any deficiencies.
You can read the full FTC Press Release and, as always, if you have questions, need help, want guidance, or want to know how best to ensure your advertising and marketing is in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, just contact me, Joe Rosenbaum, any lawyer in our Advertising, Technology & Media law practice group, or the lawyer with whom you regularly work at Rimon.