BBB National Programs Decision Summaries
BBB National Programs provides summaries of all case decisions from the National Advertising Division (NAD), National Advertising Review Board (NARB), Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), and Digital Advertising Accountability Program (DAAP). Subscribe to receive a weekly wrap-up of published case decisions in your inbox.
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11/10/2021 - S.C. Johnson Appeals NAD Recommendations to Modify Superior Strength, Unbeatable Freshness and Unbeatable Protection Claims for Ziploc Storage Bags
New York, NY – November 10, 2021 – S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. will appeal a BBB National Programs National Advertising Division (NAD) decision that the company modify certain claims for its Ziploc storage bags to make clear the relevant conditions under which consumers would experience the claimed benefits. The claims at issue, which appeared in two commercials on Amazon.com, on Ziploc’s product packaging, on free-standing inserts, and on Ziploc’s website, were challenged by Reynolds Consumer Products, LLC, the manufacturer of Hefty storage bags.
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10/26/2021 - National Advertising Division Recommends T-Mobile Discontinue Gwen Stefani and Tom Brady Super Bowl Commercials
New York, NY – October 26, 2021 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs recommended that T-Mobile USA, Inc. discontinue two television commercials for its 5G network that were challenged by competitor AT&T Services, Inc. The challenged commercials, which premiered during the 2021 Super Bowl, feature well-known celebrities, Gwen Stefani and Tom Brady, engaging in video conversations on their cell phones.
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10/20/2021 - National Advertising Division Finds T-Mobile’s “Largest” 5G Network and Other Claims Supported; Recommends Certain Other Claims be Modified or Discontinued
New York, NY – October 20, 2021 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that T-Mobile USA, Inc.’s claim to have the “largest” 5G network is substantiated and that its “5G speeds as fast as Wi-Fi” claim was supported in the context in which it was presented on the advertiser’s website. However, NAD recommended that T-Mobile discontinue the claim that it has the “fastest” 5G network, or qualify the claim to indicate that T-Mobile’s 5G network has the fastest average overall, combined 5G network speeds. NAD also concluded that the Advertiser’s claim “T-Mobile is the leader in 5G coverage and speed” should be modified to limit the claim to its advantages in coverage and average, overall combined 5G speeds.
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10/19/2021 - National Advertising Division Finds Certain Verizon 5G Claims Supported; Recommends Modification or Discontinuation of Others
New York, NY – October 19, 2021 – In the first National Advertising Division (NAD) Complex Track case, NAD determined that certain comparative performance claims for Verizon Wireless, Inc.’s 5G wireless service are supported or are non-actionable puffery. However, NAD recommended other challenged claims be modified or discontinued, including those that overstate the benefits of 5G Ultra Wideband (5G UWB) or obscure the differences between Verizon’s wireless offerings and among its service plans. -
10/05/2021 - ChromaDex, Inc. Discontinues Advertising Claims for Tru Niagen Dietary Supplement Following National Advertising Division Challenge
New York, NY – October 5, 2021 – Following a National Advertising Division (NAD) challenge, brought as part of NAD’s routine monitoring of national advertising for truth and transparency, the advertiser ChromaDex, Inc. permanently discontinued advertising claims regarding the performance benefits of its Tru Niagen dietary supplement. The challenged claims included the express claim “increases energy,” as well as a recent testimonial by former NFL star, Shannon Sharpe, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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9/28/2021 - NAD Finds Certain Environmental Benefit Claims for Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong Bathroom Tissue Supported; Recommends Modification of Others
New York, NY – September 28, 2021 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP provided a reasonable basis for the environmental benefit claims referenced below for its Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong Bathroom Tissue, including tree-planting claims, energy-efficient-manufacturing claims, real-life energy and water savings examples, and sustainability claims, and that all such claims were substantiated. NAD recommended, however, that certain claims be modified to more clearly disclose the basis for the claims and to avoid communicating unsupported messages.
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9/16/2021 - National Advertising Division Finds Claim that Almased Diet and Weight Loss Program is “So Safe that Even People with Diabetes Can Use It” Supported
New York, NY – September 16, 2021 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that Almased USA, Inc.’s claim that its Almased Diet/Weight Loss Program is “. . . so safe that even people with diabetes can use it” was supported. During the proceeding, the advertiser permanently discontinued certain challenged claims, therefore NAD did not review these permanently discontinued claims on the merits. The claims at issue were challenged by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).
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9/15/2021 - National Advertising Division Finds SlimFast “Energy For Hours” Claim Supported; Advertiser Appeals Recommendation to Discontinue “Clinically Proven” Claims
New York, NY – September 15, 2021 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that KSF Acquisition Corp. (SlimFast) provided a reasonable basis for its “energy for hours” claim for its SlimFast Food Products & Weight Loss Plans. However, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue certain "clinically proven" claims. The claims at issue, which appeared on the advertiser’s product labels, website, and app, were challenged by Simply Good Foods.
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9/14/2021 - National Advertising Division Refers Advertising Claims for Gravity Defyer Shoes to Federal Trade Commission for Possible Enforcement Action
New York, NY – September 14, 2021 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs is disappointed that Gravity Defyer Medical Technology Corporation declined to participate in the industry self-regulation process. As a result of the advertiser’s failure to participate, NAD has referred advertising claims for their Gravity Defyer shoes to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for review.
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8/24/2021 - National Advertising Division Finds Verizon’s “America’s Most Awarded Network” Claim Supported; Recommends Certain Other Claims be Modified or Discontinued
New York, NY – August 24, 2021 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that the claim “America’s most awarded network” in Verizon Communications, Inc.’s “I’m a Verizon Engineer” commercial did not reasonably convey any unsupported messages about awards given to Verizon’s 5G network. However, NAD recommended that Verizon discontinue the claim “5G from America’s most reliable network” in the “Everyone Deserves the Best” commercial and several other challenged commercials or modify the claim to clarify that “most reliable” is not a specific reference to 5G. NAD also recommended modifications to the challenged portion of Verizon’s website.