Advertising Self-Regulation

Promoting truthful, transparent, responsible advertising through self-regulation, monitoring, and enforcement

50+ Years of Advertising Self-Regulation

In 1971 the advertising industry established the U.S. mechanism of independent self-regulation that has stood the test of time and technological innovation.

Children’s Advertising Review Unit Turns 50

Celebrate 50 years of advancing responsible child-directed marketing & privacy.

DSSRC Wins ICAS "Best Initiative" Award

Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council Announced Winner for “Best Sectoral Initiative” by International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation

Our Work

Investment in advertising is at an all-time high – and so is the cost for misleading consumers with false advertising claims. Brands can hold each other accountable through advertising self-regulation.

National Advertising Division (NAD)

The U.S. advertising industry founded the National Advertising Division (NAD) in 1971 to build consumer trust in advertising and support fair competition in the marketplace. NAD holds national advertising across all media types to high standards of truth and accuracy by reviewing truth-in-advertising challenges from businesses, trade associations, consumers, or on its own initiative. Through its work, thousands of misleading advertising claims have been removed from the marketplace.

National Advertising Review Board (NARB)

The National Advertising Review Board (NARB), established in 1971, is the appellate body for the U.S. system of advertising industry self-regulation. Five-member NARB panels hear cases appealing an NAD or CARU decision and provide independent industry peer review, ensuring truthfulness and accuracy in national advertising and helping promote voluntary compliance of its decisions—a key pillar of industry self-regulation.

Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU)

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) helps companies comply with laws and guidelines that protect children under age 13 from deceptive or inappropriate advertising and ensure that, in an online environment, children's data is collected and handled responsibly.

Separately, CARU is the nation’s first Safe Harbor Program under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI)

The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) was created to improve the landscape of food advertising to children. Under CFBAI, participants voluntarily commit that, in advertising primarily directed to children, they will either not advertise foods or beverages to children at all or advertise only products that meet CFBAI’s strict Uniform Nutrition Criteria. Participants also do not advertise in elementary or middle schools.

Children’s Confection Advertising Initiative (CCAI)

Modeled after CFBAI and created in 2016 in partnership with the National Confectioners Association (NCA), the Children’s Confection Advertising Initiative (CCAI) was created to allow small-to-medium sized confectionery companies to take part in industry self-regulation.

Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC)

The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC) provides impartial monitoring, enforcement, and dispute resolution regarding product claims or income representations (including lifestyle claims) disseminated by direct selling companies and their sales force members. This program provides a robust challenge process that also includes the opportunity for a company to appeal a decision.

Ad Law Guidance

The Online Archive

Gain access to a library of full legal case decisions from BBB National Programs in the Online Archive, a unique and valuable resource that provides decades of insightful guidance and in-depth knowledge on important advertising issues.

National Partners in Advertising

The advertising industry has been working together for more than 50 years to enhance consumer trust in the marketplace and level the playing field for business. Our National Partners help grow and evolve the programs that make this possible.

Ad Law Education

Advertising’s purpose is to convince consumers to buy the advertiser’s product or service. While advertising is often creative and fun, it can also sometimes cross the line into false advertising that misleads consumers and distorts fair competition. So, what are the rules?

Media & Resources

Our team of advertising substantiation specialists brings timely educational resources and advertising law insights to the public through blogs, events, podcasts, newsletters, and more.