NARB ProgramBackgrounds

National Advertising Review Board

The National Advertising Review Board (NARB) 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.

Program Impact

NARB, established in 1971 as a fair and impartial appellate body, reviews appealed NAD or CARU decisions. Nominated by various leading organizations in the advertising industry, NARB members are selected for their stature and experience in their fields. 

 

 

Truth & Transparency

When a competitor’s advertising harms consumer trust or threatens a company’s reputation and market share, the advertising self-regulatory system creates a level-playing field for business and helps ensure consumers receive truthful and accurate advertising.

Compliance

After a decision, NARB or the challenger can check in on whether the advertiser has made appropriate modifications to its advertising and has 10 days to respond. The case is closed if there is a good faith effort to bring their advertising into compliance.

Non-Compliance

In cases of lack of good faith efforts to modify or discontinue advertising as a result of a NARB decision, NARB will refer the case to an appropriate government agency, usually the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
 

For the last 50 years in the advertising industry, companies have held each other to a higher standard. In response to the pressures and criticisms of consumerism that had mounted during the previous decade, in 1971 the advertising industry established the National Advertising Division (NAD) and National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the U.S. mechanism of independent self-regulation that has stood the test of time and technological innovation.

 

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Guidelines & Procedures


Any advertiser or challenger has the right to appeal NAD’s decision to NARB. An advertiser has an automatic right of appeal. A challenger must request permission to appeal from the NARB chair and explain why it believes there is a substantial likelihood NARB would come to a different conclusion on a case than NAD. 

 

News & Blog

Press Release

BBB National Programs Announces 98 Distinguished Panel Pool Members for 2024 National Advertising Review Board

McLean, VA – January 9, 2024 – BBB National Programs today announced the 98 panel pool members of the 2024 National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appellate body for the U.S. advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. 

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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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Blog

Solving Shared Challenges: A Global Approach to Advertising Self-Regulation

Recognizing the shared challenges society and marketers are facing while reckoning with declining levels of trust, advertising standards authorities are uniting to help ensure responsible marketing across all media channels through the new ICAS Global Think Tank, creating a space for academic, business, and policy leaders to engage in candid discussion, research, and collaboration on the biggest challenges facing the advertising industry.
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Blog

Washing Away Deceptive Business Practices

Environmentalist Jay Westerveld first popularized the term “greenwashing” in 1986. As the term has morphed over time, it has spawned derivatives ranging from “AI washing” to “carewashing” to “healthwashing.” These terms serve to expose deceptive practices and encourage responsible behavior.
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Decisions

Decision

National Advertising Review Board Recommends AT&T Discontinue or Modify Supplemental-Coverage-from-Space Claim

New York, NY – August 8, 2024 – A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) recommended that AT&T discontinue or modify the claim that Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) is currently available to AT&T consumers.

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Decision

National Advertising Review Board Finds Glad ForceFlex MaxStrength Trash Bag “25% More Durable” Claims on Packaging Not Misleading

New York, NY – May 23, 2024 – A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) determined that The Glad Products Company’s “25% more durable” claim for Glad ForceFlex MaxStrength bags, as it appears on the packaging of 45- 34- and 20-bag sizes, is not misleading.

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Decision

National Advertising Division Recommends Promotion in Motion Discontinue or Modify Certain Welch’s Fruit Snack Commercials

New York, NY – September 30, 2024 – The National Advertising Division recommended that PIM Brands discontinue certain television commercials for its Welch’s Fruit Snacks or modify the advertising to avoid conveying the message that competing fruit snacks are worthless.

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Decision

Following National Advertising Division Inquiry, Google Voluntarily Unlists Video Demonstrating Google Gemini Capabilities

New York, NY – September 12, 2024 – Google voluntarily unlisted a video demonstrating the capabilities of Google Gemini, its large language model artificial intelligence (AI) offering introduced in December 2023.

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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. For members of the press, the full text of any BBB National Programs decision is available by emailing the request to press@bbbnp.org

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

 

 

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