ERSP Continues to Review Telemarketing and Live Seminars

New York, NY – Oct. 14 – The Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program (ERSP) today reported on the last eight months of activity, under its program to review telemarketing scripts and calls, as well as recordings of live real estate investing seminars by companies participating in its 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.

As part of its self-regulatory undertaking, ERSP evaluates the “primary” or “core” claims made in participants’ advertising materials, scripts, and telemarketing recordings, and presentations – representations regarded by ERSP as the most significant and fundamental in the communication of material attributes or characteristics of a participants coaching or mentoring program.

The “primary” or “core” claims in a script, telemarketing call, or a live seminar for a coaching or mentoring program include claims relating to the objective benefits of the coaching or mentoring program, especially financial benefits, and the qualifications of coaches or mentors or the nature of the assistance.

As part of its expanded monitoring review of the advertising practices of the lead-generation industry, since the inception of the program, ERSP has closed 23 cases 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.