Federal Trade Commission Protecting America's Consumers

Federal Trade Commission and National Advertising Division, Better Business Bureau

Effective Disclosures in Advertising
May 22, 2001

Accuracy of advertising claims and compliance with truth-in-advertising laws are long-standing principles that have achieved general public acceptance.

Recently, however, there has been growing concern about the use of disclosures in print ads, radio spots, and television commercials. Although the legal standard is well-established – advertising disclosures must be clear and conspicuous – law enforcers and self-regulatory bodies have noted an increase in the number of cases involving ads that appear to fall short of this principle. The FTC alone brought more than a dozen cases last year challenging complicated "mouseprint" disclosures in print ads, broadcast ads, and online. It’s also a frequent issue in competitor challenges before the National Advertising Division (NAD).

Discussions with industry members suggest that while the legal principles may be clear, there is some confusion about how to apply them in specific situations and what guidelines are available to help advertisers make these judgments.

To talk about creative approaches to this recurring problem, the FTC, the NAD, marketing
executives, brand managers, ad agencies, state law enforcers, and consumer advocates gathered at
FTC Headquarters in Washington, DC on May 22, 2001 at a conference entitled, "Disclosure
Exposure: An FTC-NAD Workshop on Effective Disclosures in Advertising." An
impressive roster of experts in the field and over 150 attendees engaged in an interesting and
exciting discussion concerning what companies can do to market their products aggressively while
complying with the "rules of the road" about clear and conspicuous disclosures. 

"Disclosure Exposure" presentations, presenter biographies and other information pertaining to
effective disclosures in advertising are available below. 

We are pleased that the FTC and NAD came together to co-sponsor this exciting event.

	Agenda [PDF]
	Speaker Biographies [PDF only]
	Conference Presentations [Please note file sizes]
	Dr. Craig Andrews, Marquette University What Consumer Research Tells Us About Disclosures [PPS] [66K] [PDF] [1.2Mg] Harvey C. Dzodin, Vice President, ABC The Network Perspective [PPS] [71K] [PDF] [142K] Lesley Fair, Division of Advertising Practices, FTC The "Clear and Conspicuous" Standard [PPS] [50Mg] - James Guthrie, President, National Advertising Review Council Introductory Remarks [PPS] [378K] [PDF] [522K] Dr. Richard Kolbe, Kent State University What Consumer Research Tells Us About Disclosures [PPS] [56K] [PDF] [1.5Mg] Andrea C. Levine,  Director, National Advertising Division The "Clear and Conspicuous" Standard [PPS] [2.3Mg] [PDF] [3.4Mg] Dr. Michael Mazis, American University What Consumer Research Tells Us About Disclosures [PPS] [78K] [PDF] [119K] Dr. Louis Morris, Louis A. Morris & Associates What Consumer Research Tells Us About Disclosures [PPS] [62K] [PDF] [1.4Mg] Dr. Keith Murray, Bryant College What Consumer Research Tells Us About Disclosures [PPS] [36K] [PDF] [18K] Randy Satterfield, Office of Consumer & Business Education, FTC LetsGoTV Sample Ads [PPS] [1.0Mg] -
	Creative Team Sample Ads: LetsGoTV [All links in PDF, unless otherwise noted]
	LetGoTV Mock advertisments: "Before" Ads Fact Pattern Print Ad Television Ad Creative Team 1 Ronald Urbach, Davis & Gilbert Matthew Seiler, Wieden + Kennedy Ty Montague, Wieden + Kennedy Print Ad - Horizontal Print Ad - Vertical Television Ad Direct Mail Piece Creative Team 2 Linda Goldstein, Hall Dickler Kent Goldstein & Wood Jeffrey Edelstein, Hall Dickler Kent Goldstein & Wood Annie Finnegan, Arnold Worldwide Sue Richmond, Arnold Worldwide Presentation (PPS) Print Ad Television Ad Creative Team 3 Kimberle Hillers, Young & Rubicam Larry Cadman, Young & Rubicam Patrick Sean Flaherty, Young & Rubicam Presentation (PPS) Print Ad Television Ad
	FTC Advertising Cases
	NAD Advertising Cases
	News Release
	Business Education
	Advertising and Marketing on the Internet: The Rules of the Road  [TEXT] [PDF] Advertising Consumer Leases [TEXT] [PDF] Big Print. Little Print. What's the Deal? How to Disclose the Details [TEXT] [PDF] Dot Com Disclosures: Information About Online Advertising - [PDF] Frequently Asked Advertising Questions: A Guide for Small Business [TEXT] [PDF] Hide and Go Seek: Finding the Disclosures in "Free" Internet Service Offers [TEXT] [PDF]