Native advertisements have become extremely popular in recent years because they can be so effective. Unfortunately, unless done properly, they can also be quite confusing to consumers. They appear to be normal content on the site so people reading them don’t realize that they are actually reading an advertisement. This, of course, allows the ad to perform better than normal but it can also run afoul of deceptive advertising laws.
To help marketers take advantage of this type of advertising without violating consumer’s rights, the FTC has just released some guidelines for this specific type of marketing practice. They released a document called, “Native Advertising: A Guide for Business” which is designed to help companies to learn about the laws related to this type of marketing and remain in compliance with them.
According to Jessica Rich, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, “The FTC’s policy applies time-tested truth-in-advertising principles to modern media. People browsing the Web, using social media, or watching videos have a right to know if they’re seeing editorial content or an ad.”
If you use any type of native advertising for your business, or you are thinking about it, you will definitely want to take some time to read through the information provided by the FTC. Not only will it help you to be more transparent with your visitors but it can also help ensure you don’t get any complaints filed against you by the FTC. Whenever the FTC issues this type of guidance you can be sure that in the coming months they will also be looking to catch companies that continue to violate their standards.
You can see the entire guide from the FTC HERE.
