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FTC: Bloggers Must Disclose Payments

by WendellC
5 replies
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I wonder what affect this might have for the IM world...

FTC: Bloggers Must Disclose Payments

Could an FTC requirement for disclosing affiliate marketing revenue be around the corner?

Wendell
  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    They have already voted on it. Bloggers will be required to disclose that they have made payments for reviews......however - they have not yet revealed how these disclosures are going to be made. You might have to say this is a paid endorsement right at the bottom of the review. They could even force the disclosure at the top
    of it......maybe you will just have to have a page such as a TOS page with a statement that reviews are purchased.

    Just have to wait and see how many martinis the taxpayers are buying em during that meeting.
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    • Profile picture of the author ThomM
      Sounds like it will be the same as in the other medias.
      For something like 20 or 30 years you have had to disclose if an ad or endorsement was paid for.
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    • Profile picture of the author halfpoint
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      They have already voted on it. Bloggers will be required to disclose that they have made payments for reviews......however - they have not yet revealed how these disclosures are going to be made. You might have to say this is a paid endorsement right at the bottom of the review. They could even force the disclosure at the top
      of it......maybe you will just have to have a page such as a TOS page with a statement that reviews are purchased.

      Just have to wait and see how many martinis the taxpayers are buying em during that meeting.
      I asked this in another thread, but what defines a "review"?

      Would this be considered a review;

      "..For more information about xyz there is a very popular product titled xyz. Read about it here"

      Additionally, when are they going to disclose how these statements need to be made?

      It's all too vague at the minute.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        As posted on other threads this week about this FTC ruling, the FTC says it will start with advertisers so that advertisers can give details to their affiliates.

        From what I've read on it on the gov sites it's to prevent people from raving about how great a product is and not mentioning that the link they give earns them money if you buy. If you are an affiliate marketer you know how many sellers include such things as "reviews" and "blog posts" and email series for their affiliates to use and add their own link to.

        It's not much different than the small print disclaimers you see on TV for many product ads or, in some cases, where the actor in the TV commercial lists potential side effects as well as benefits.

        I don't see this as a major problem.

        kay
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Motley
    This is not new. Bloggers just have to disclose that they are getting paid for a review, not paying for a review. This is atleast 2 years old in the blogging world
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