Advertising Self-Regulation

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

 

Businesses that advertise and market their products and services need to commit to truthful and responsible advertising, allowing consumers to make informed choices and companies to build and nurture valuable consumer relationships.

 

To learn more about our work—and to join in the effort—please check out the programs, initiatives, and resources below. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertising Guidance

 

Since the creation of the National Advertising Division (NAD) in 1971, the advertising industry has supported high standards for truth and transparency through a comprehensive system of independent industry self-regulation programs.

 

Those programs enforce high standards of truth and accuracy in national advertising and ensure that advertising to children is not misleading or inappropriate. Beyond formal guidance, each of our case decisions contain real-world guidance on important advertising issues that attorneys can leverage for their clients and marketing professionals can follow to avoid advertising substantiation problems. Access summaries of all decisions in our Case Decision Summary library. Subscribe to the Online Archive for the full text of all decisions.

 

As the advertising landscape continues to evolve, we adapt our programs to the challenges posed by new products, new industries, and new advertising technology.

 

 

Truth in Advertising 101

 

Our educational resource library of tips, videos, and guidance shares advertising law basics, including defining common terms like ‘puffery,’ and how to draw the line between truthful and misleading advertising.

 

 


 

Endorsements & Testimonials

What is the proper way to use endorsements and testimonials in advertising, while staying truthful and out of the crosshairs of NAD and the FTC?

 

 


 
Puffery

Why don’t exaggerated or boasting claims made in advertising, known as puffery, require a reasonable basis of evidence?

 

 


 

Express and Implied Claims

What is the difference between an express or implied claim and does an advertiser need to have evidence to support both?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Process

 

Our advertising programs uphold standards for truthful and responsible advertising and responsible targeted advertising data collection practices through:

 

  • independent monitoring;

 

  • competitor challenges; and

 

  • corporate commitments to voluntary standards.

 

 

Though competitor advertising challenges, business can play a significant role in building trust with consumers and supporting fair competition in the marketplace.

 

 

 

 

 

Reports

The expansion of industry self-regulation programs across industries, most recently with the direct selling and dietary supplement industries, demonstrates how this voluntary system can be a proactive solution to emerging industry challenges. 

 

 

 

 

 

Recent Case Decisions

Decision

National Advertising Review Board Recommends Modifications to T-Mobile Home Internet “Fast,” “High-Speed,” and “Reliable” Claims

New York, NY – May 25, 2023 – A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) found that T-Mobile‘s express claims for T-Mobile Home Internet (T-HINT) are supported, but recommended certain modifications to the claims so consumers understand the context in which they will receive internet service and the...

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Decision

National Advertising Division Recommends Clearer Disclosure of Affiliate Advertising Relationships for Renue by Science Dietary Supplements

New York, NY – May 25, 2023 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) recommended Renue by Science modify disclosures of affiliate relationships and modify or discontinue challenged YouTube videos to disclose the advertiser’s relationship to the speaker.

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Decision

National Advertising Division Finds HelloFresh “Flexible Plans” Claim Supported; Recommends Clear and Conspicuous Disclosure of “16 Free Meals” Material Terms

New York, NY – May 24, 2023 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that HelloFresh supported the claim “Flexible Plans, Less Hassle: Add extra meals to any week’s order, change your delivery day or menu preferences, skip a week or cancel anytime” for its...

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Decision

Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council Recommends Juice Plus+ Discontinue Certain Earnings and Health-Related Product Claims

McLean, VA – May 23, 2023 – The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC) recommended that Juice Plus+ modify or discontinue certain earnings and health-related product performance claims. These claims were made by Juice Plus+, a direct selling company that sells fruit and vegetable juice extract supplements, as...

Read the Decision Summary

 

BBB National Programs provides summaries of all case decisions in the Case Decision Summary library. For the full text of National Advertising Division, National Advertising Review Board, and Children’s Advertising Review Unit decisions, subscribe to the Online Archive. Other case decisions are available publicly: Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council and Digital Advertising Accountability Program. For members of the press, the full text of any BBB National Programs decision is available by emailing the request to press@bbbnp.org

 

 

Filtered Case Feeds

 

 

 

Online Archive

 

Gain access to all BBB National Programs full legal decisions in the Online Archive, a unique and valuable resource that provides years of insightful guidance and in-depth knowledge on important advertising issues. Learn more about the Online Archive.

 

The full text of some case decisions are available publicly: Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council and Digital Advertising Accountability Program. For members of the press, the full text of any BBB National Programs decision is available by emailing the request to press@bbbnp.org.

 

 

 

Latest Announcements

Press Release

BBB National Programs Announces 91 Distinguished Panel Pool Members for 2023 National Advertising Review Board

McLean, VA – January 10, 2023 – BBB National Programs today announced the 91 panel pool members of the 2023 National Advertising Review Board, the appellate body for the U.S. advertising industry’s system of self-regulation, selected for their stature and experience in their fields.

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Press Release

Walmart Joins BBB National Programs’ CARU COPPA Safe Harbor Program for Roblox Product

McLean, VA – December 12, 2022 – Walmart joins BBB National Programs’ Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) COPPA Safe Harbor Program to ensure that its new immersive Roblox experience complies with the stringent requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and CARU’s Self-Regulatory Guidelines.

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Press Release

Children’s Advertising Review Unit Issues Compliance Warning for Child-Directed Advertising in the Metaverse

McLean, VA – August 23, 2022 – BBB National Programs’ Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) today issued a new compliance warning regarding the application of CARU’s Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children’s Advertising to advertising practices directed to children in the metaverse. This warning puts advertisers on notice...

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Press Release

Media Advisory: Sesame Workshop’s Michael Preston and U.S. Representative Kathy Castor to Keynote CARU 2022 Annual Conference

McLean, VA – April 26, 2022 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit of BBB National Programs will host the virtual CARU 2022 Annual Conference May 10-11, 2022, featuring keynote speakers who will address how to create a better digital world for children and what the U.S. policy landscape looks like for the year...

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Resources

Breaking Down Greenwashing in Advertising

 

The 4A’s resource, Greenwashing and Advertising: What Your Agency Needs to Know When Making Environmental Claims provides an outline of the rules around making environmental advertising claims and how the National Advertising Division (NAD) and others are helping to regulate them. In the past decade, NAD cases involving environmental claims in advertising have been on the rise. NAD vice president Laura Brett said “Once you see something become a priority for consumers, the response of course is for the industry to offer products that meet that demand, and I think that is why we have seen an increase in challenges to environmental claims, a high-profile issue that a lot of consumers are concerned about.”

 

 

 

Events

3rd Annual PRC Performance Optimization Summit

Daniel Range, Attorney, National Advertising Division and Melissa Brown, Attorney, National Advertising Division will speak about the role of NAD in pharmaceutical claim substantiation.
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Jun 12, 2023 Philadelphia, PA

Practising Law Institute's Hot Topics in Advertising Law

Zheng Wang, Attorney, National Advertising Division will serve as speaker for this event
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Jun 16, 2023 New York, New York

Good Housekeeping's Raise the Green Bar Sustainability Summit

Laura Brett, Vice President, National Advertising Division will deliver a presentation on the Green Guides and Green Claims.
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Jun 22, 2023 New York, NY

The 2023 Direct Selling Summit

The 2023 Direct Selling Summit, a half-day virtual event taking place on July 27, 2023, provides attendees with an exclusive inside look at how social media and digital advertising is monitored for tr ...
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Jul 27, 2023 Virtual