November 2012
Sporting goods companies: Guard against deception
Some sports fans spend Saturdays on the field. For the rest of us, raising a Big Foam Finger is exertion enough. But we’ve all read stories about the dangers that head injuries pose to participants in contact sports. That’s why the FTC is continuing to raise concerns about possibly unsubstantiated claims for products advertised to reduce the risk of sports concussions.
The last resort
When it comes to making hotel reservations, some consumers aren’t feeling very hospitable about drip pricing — the practice of advertising only part of the price and then revealing other charges later as the customer goes through the buying process. That’s why FTC staff sent out 22 warning letters to companies raising concerns about the practice.
The Big Picture
Are you and your clients taking in The Big Picture? That’s what the FTC is calling its December 6, 2012, workshop on comprehensive online data collection. The event will gather consumer groups, academics, industry representatives, privacy professionals, and others to look at the current state of comprehensive data collection, its risks and potential benefits, and where it could be going in the future.
Enforceable Codes of Conduct: Protecting Consumers Across Borders
Business has gone global, but how should consumers be protected when transactions cross borders? The FTC is hosting a forum on Thursday, November 29, 2012, to talk about the role of enforceable industry codes of conduct to protect consumers in cross-border commerce. What’s on the agenda? Systems where government entities, businesses, consumer groups, and others develop and administer voluntary procedures that govern areas outside of traditional government oversight.
Are your ad claims on the MAP?
Here’s a first for you: The FTC has released a series of ads created by its own staff and boy, are they bad. No, we’re not channeling our inner Sterling Cooper Mad Men. The goal is to help companies comply with their legal obligations by showing some of the questionable mortgage-related claims likely to cause law enforcement — and consumer — heartburn.
Down in the dumps(ter)
Every business generates paper destined for the circular file. But if documents contain sensitive information, don’t toss them out in a way that could invite unauthorized access. According to the FTC’s lawsuit against PLS Financial Services, PLS Group, and The Payday Loan Store of Illinois, loan applications, credit reports, and other confidential paperwork found their way into dumpsters near the defendants’ locations. The settlement applies just to the entities specified in the order. But
Cracking down on contrepreneurs
Call them contrepreneurs — marketers who use hyped-up promises to sell business opportunities to people eager to be their own boss. As part of a federal-state blitz on bogus bizopps, the FTC announced seven law enforcement actions and developments in five other cases against outfits the agency says used illegal tactics to take more than half a billion dollars from two million Americans trying to make ends meet in a challenging economy.
Trash Talking
Some things you’d expect to find in a trash can: last night’s potato peelings, the casserole that looked so promising in the cookbook photo, and Oscar the Grouch. But if you run a business, the one thing you don’t want in the dumpster behind your office is paperwork containing sensitive information about your customers. Just ask PLS Financial Services, PLS Group, and the Payday Loan Store of Illinois.
Calling for back-up
Everybody needs a wingman — somebody there just in case you need back-up. When it comes to explaining the consumer protection basics of mobile apps to client and colleagues, you’ve got a wingman at the ready.
It’s called Marketing Your Mobile App: Get It Right From the Start. It’s a to-the-point brochure from the FTC outlining fundamental truth-in-advertising and privacy principles for app developers. The brochures focuses on time-tested tips like:
Facing Facts
Say facial recognition and it’s easy for people to get all Minority Report-ish. But it’s no longer science fiction. If you’ve uploaded a photo to try on a pair of glasses or check yourself out with a different hairstyle, you’ve used a form of the technology. Marketers are taking advantage, too, using facial characteristics like gender or age to serve up targeted ads in retail spots.