About That New FTC Rule
The Federal Trade Commission has new guidelines that will apply to bloggers who endorse products.
An existing FTC rule that states product reviewers must reveal any connection they have with advertisers was extended to bloggers. Companies will often distribute free products to bloggers for their review, and sometimes advertisers offer payment for endorsements. The FTC said that endorsements on blogs appear to be “word of mouth,” but that is not always the case — sometimes companies create their own blogs that can give the aura of objectivity.
These guidelines don’t worry me at all as far as LGF is concerned; I’ve never endorsed a product at LGF because I was given money to do it, or because I was given a free product in return. I have reviewed products, such as the Kindle or the Roomba, and I’ll usually provide a link to Amazon so that interested people can buy it for themselves. When I do that, I receive a small cut of the price, through Amazon’s affiliate program.
But this is not the focus of the FTC’s new rules; they’re targeting specific endorsements of products that are paid for by companies. I don’t do that, and I probably never will; but if I do, I will clearly disclose any relationship with the product’s maker.
That’s enough of the full disclosure stuff. Now I must brew some coffee, using my Krups KM7000 Grind-and-Brew 10-Cup Coffeemaker, which I bought and paid for myself, and absolutely love.
Frank says: