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BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division Launches NAD Complex Track, a Custom Challenge Process for Complex Advertising Claims

For Immediate Release 

Contact: Abby Hills, Director of Communications, BBB National Programs 

703.247.9330 / press@bbbnp.org 

 

New York, NY — August 20, 2020 — The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs today launched its NAD Complex Track advertising challenge process, a new customized option to support complex cases with greater transparency and more predictable scheduling. This launch comes just four months after the new expedited NAD Fast-Track SWIFT process launched in early April 2020.  

Complex challenges to truth and transparency issues that arising in advertising often require more time and resources to resolve. These cases may involve:  

  • Multiple expert reports explaining or rebutting evidence; 

  • Evidence that includes consumer perception surveys, scientific studies, or other technical studies that require additional time to analyze; or 

  • Challenges to numerous claims made for a variety of products.  

 

This new resource for businesses participating in the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation addresses the need for predictability in the length of time a complex case takes from start to finish. NAD Complex Track will reveal greater insight into NAD’s approach and perspective on evidence and arguments presented in a case before the record is closed. This new approach also provides businesses and the attorneys who represent them with a streamlined, more efficient approach to reaching a reasonable and fair conclusion.   

“Adding the NAD Complex Track process as a new case-choice option for companies reflects our dedication to streamlining the self-regulatory process,” said Laura Brett, Vice President, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division and leader of the organization’s New York office. “Corporations respect and participate in advertising self-regulation because they understand that the U.S. economy is built on a fair and transparent product marketplace. A key part of our role as the investigative unit of that system is to continue to evolve our processes and remain responsive to the shifting needs of the advertising industry.”   

The launch of the NAD Complex Track challenge process follows the recent launch of the NAD Fast-Track SWIFT process in April 2020, a process that is limited to single issue cases and guarantees a resolution within 20 days of initiation. The first three NAD Fast-Track SWIFT cases were announced as resolved in early June with another three resolved in early July.   

To learn more about the processes and how to file an NAD Complex Track or Fast-Track SWIFT challenge, please visit BBBprograms.org/NAD.   

Since 1971, NAD has led the advertising industry’s efforts to promote truthful and transparent advertising, protecting consumers and promoting fair competition. Today, NAD provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business. NAD achieves a 90-95% voluntary compliance rate with its decisions.  

NAD reviews advertising on a broad range of issues and industries, from complex health-related claims for vulnerable populations, to claims about which cereal stays crunchy in milk longer, to whether major telecommunications companies are providing nationwide 5G. Digital advertising product claims made during the COVID-19 pandemic, influencer marketing, and the issues surrounding the use of endorsements and testimonials have increasingly been a focus of cases before NAD. 

 

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About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs is where businesses turn to enhance consumer trust and consumers are heard. The non-profit organization creates a fairer playing field for businesses and a better experience for consumers through the development and delivery of effective third-party accountability and dispute resolution programs. Embracing its role as an independent organization since the restructuring of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in June 2019, BBB National Programs today oversees more than a dozen leading national industry self-regulation programs, and continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-directed marketing, and privacy. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.    

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD), a division of BBB National Programs, provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.