August 2012
Make your claims crystal clear
Earlier this year, the FTC settled five law enforcement actions against companies making allegedly deceptive energy savings claims for their replacement windows. Now the FTC has sent letters to 14 window manufacturers and one window glass manufacturer, warning that they may be making unsupported energy savings representations for their products.
Out of the mouths of babes
Tell people your baby is adorable and no doubt you have the photos to back it up. But market a product called “Your Baby Can Read!” and you better have real proof. According to a lawsuit filed by the FTC, ads for the “Your Baby Can Read!” program made false and deceptive claims that the product could teach infants and toddlers to read.
The Ab Circle Pro case: A gut check for marketers
The FTC’s multimillion dollar settlement involving the Ab Circle Pro exercise device is great news for consumers. But what does it say to businesses?
Phenomenal abdominals? Not so fast, Ab Circle Pro.
If you haven’t heard of the Ab Circle Pro, you need to spend more time in your recliner. Between the infomercial blitz, the online presence, and a retail campaign that promoted the product with a prominent “As Seen on TV” logo, ads were everywhere. The marketers claimed that using the device for just three minutes a day would lead to a 10-pound weight loss in two weeks and inches off the stomach, hips, and thighs — benefits equal to or better than longer workouts at the gym.
It's back-to-school time: Protecting kids' identities
As back-to-school time approaches, children may be thinking about meeting up with friends to share stories about their summer adventures. But when it comes to personal information, parents and kids need to be careful about sharing too much. These days the casual use of sensitive data (like a Social Security number on a registration form, permission slip, or health document) can lead to child identity theft, a serious crime that impacts thousands of kids each year. Parents can take steps to protect their children from ID theft — and your business can help by sharing f
Sports concussion prevention claims: What marketers need to know
Whether you’re a full-pads athlete or a quarterback of the Monday morning variety, you’ve read reports about sports-related concussions. But before marketing a product advertised to reduce the risk of those injuries, businesses should take a careful look at the FTC’s settlement with Pennsylvania-based Brain-Pad, Inc.
More time to polish up your comments
When it comes to the FTC’s Jewelry Guides, we’re looking for your pearls of wisdom, your sterling opinions, and other flawless feedback about how the standards affect consumers and businesses. Back in June, we told you that the Jewelry Guides were getting another look as part of the FTC’s systematic revie
Track afield: What the FTC's Google case means for your company
After two weeks of talk about track, the trending topic is tracking, including the FTC’s $22.5 million settlement with Google for violating an earlier order. Google told users of the Safari browser it wouldn’t place tracking cookies or serve them targeted ads, but the FTC charged that the company’s tracking practices went far afield of its claims. Of course, the terms of that settlement apply just to
Milking cookies: The FTC's $22.5 million settlement with Google
There’s been a lot of talk about breaking records these past few weeks. But here’s one you won’t see on the sports pages: the FTC’s $22.5 million settlement with Google, the largest civil penalty ever against a single defendant. The penalty stems from FTC charges that Google didn’t give users of Apple’s Safari Internet browser the straight story about the use of tracking cookies. That, says the FTC, violated the terms of Google’s 2011 privacy settlement.
Where HireRight Solutions went wrong
Most job seekers are familiar with the basics: Wear a clean shirt, extend a firm handshake, and don’t ask about vacations in the first 10 minutes of the interview. But these days more businesses are digging deeper. Tulsa-based HireRight Solutions is a background screening company that thousands of employers use to check out current employees and people applying for jobs. When it comes to Fair Credit Reporting Act compliance, the FTC says HireRight Solutions got it wrong by not using reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy of the inform