New York, NY – September 23, 2013 – The Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program (ERSP) today reported on the last nine (9) months of activity, under an expanded program to review advertising claims made for lead-generation businesses, as well as the review of telemarketing scripts and calls by companies participating in its new Telemarketing Review Program.

ERSP is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. It is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus and funded by the Electronic Retailing Association.

ERSP, founded in 2004, has earned the respect of the direct-response industry through its expeditious, fair and even-handed review of core truth-and-accuracy advertising claims made by electronic retailers.

Since January of 2013, the ERSP Review Program has expanded to include two new companies, FortuneBuilders, Inc. and Income Solutions, Inc., who voluntarily submitted their official company websites and current telemarketing scripts to ERSP for review. ERSP continues to review telemarketing calls and scripts for Professional Marketing International (“PMI”) and Prosper, Inc.

In addition to monitoring telemarketing calls, scripts, and company websites for the above participants, ERSP has also conducted two lead generation advertising reviews of Morrison Publishing, LLC and Freedom Soft, LLLP. Both of these participants voluntarily submitted their advertising to ERSP, were responsive to the ERSP review, communicated to ERSP that they are committed to ensuring that their advertising is truthful and accurate, and expressed their support of industry self-regulation.

As part of its review process, ERSP assesses claims made in companies’ telemarketing and/or advertising, conducts follow-up reviews to assure compliance with ERSP recommendations, and provides the opportunity to discuss these reviews with ERSP staff.

As part of its expanded monitoring review of the advertising practices of the lead generation industry, since January 1, 2013, ERSP has closed eight (8) individual inquiries of non-participating companies regarding the truth and accuracy of core claims communicated in lead generation advertising.

“ERSP is encouraged by the commitments of the participants to self-regulate their advertising practices, and we’re very optimistic that other companies in this industry will follow their example and join us in this self-regulatory initiative,” said Peter Marinello, Director, ERSP.