• Ad Age, Friday, March 13, 2009 11 AM

The Federal Trade Commission wants to toughen the rules for endorsements and testimonials by requiring evidence that results are likely to be typical, Ira Teinowitz reports. If the revision of its 29-year-old rule for endorsements is approved, advertisers who claim dramatic results will either have to demonstrate that consumers are "likely" to have similar success or describe in the ad what the "generally expected performance" is.

Celebrities who mention products in TV interviews would be required to disclose any connections they have to the manufacturers of those products. And bloggers who get free products and endorse them would have to acknowledge that fact.

The proposed changes are running into opposition from advertising groups and some marketers. "Determining 'generally accepted results' for an aerobic exercise device or regimen can be very difficult for advertisers [to show] because the extent of those benefits will vary widely," says one set of comments.

Read the whole story at Ad Age »