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As we previously reported last year, native advertisements represent an increasingly popular and effective means of promotion for marketers that also presents a major challenge for the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), an organization whose primary duty is to protect consumers from false and misleading advertising.  Native advertising, also known as corporate content or branded journalism, features marketing material that is designed to mimic the look and feel of the host website.  While the look of native advertisements differs depending on the host website, the underlying goal for marketers is the same — to make the advertisement look and feel like editorial content. 
Continue Reading Will The FTC Issue Native Advertising Guidelines in 2015?

Social media allows users to effortlessly communicate globally with nothing more than a few keystrokes.  Advertisers have harnessed the power of social media bloggers and incorporated it as a key component of their advertising campaigns.  This practice is known as “consumer-to-consumer” marketing or “consumer-generated media” marketing.  While consumer-to-consumer marketing is a prevalent practice, especially in the fashion industry, the use of bloggers to promote fashion products to consumers necessitates compliance issues under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
Continue Reading There’s No Such Thing As a Free Sample