(Podcast) The Briefing: Influencer Fail – ALO Yoga & Influencers Named in $150M Class Action Lawsuit for FTC Violations
LEGAL ALERT | NAD Finds Kevin Hart’s Social Media Disclosures Insufficient in Monitoring Decisions
The Briefing: How “Knockoff” Furniture Landed Kim Kardashian in an IP Lawsuit
The Briefing: How “Knockoff” Furniture Landed Kim Kardashian in an IP Lawsuit (Podcast)
(Podcast) The Briefing: Beyond the Hashtag – FTC Revises Guidelines for Endorsement Use in Advertising
Podcast - The FTC Cracks Down on Celebrity Endorsers
Hsu Untied interview with Brian Anderson, Partner at Sheppard Mullin
Is the Grass Greener? Weighing the Risks and Rewards of Celebrity Branding in the Cannabis Industry – The 2022 Cannalaw Summit: Part 2
Is the Grass Greener? Weighing the Risks and Rewards of Celebrity Branding in the Cannabis Industry – The 2022 Cannalaw Summit: Part 1
While reality stars often use their on-camera exposure to kick-start their personal brand, sustaining momentum relies heavily on cultivating a strong social media presence to stay connected with their audience. Not...more
A class action lawsuit has been filed against ALO Yoga and several influencers for failing to disclose that various social media campaigns were actually paid ads. Weintraub attorneys Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler break down...more
From world-famous celebrities to teens reviewing products on TikTok, influencers continue to shape consumer perceptions. Recent decisions from the National Advertising Division (NAD) have brought attention to the challenges...more
Kevin Hart may know how to land a punchline, but the National Advertising Division (“NAD”) recently reminded him that when it comes to influencer endorsements, the only thing that should be subtle is the humor—not the...more
And we’re back with more NAD drama! You may remember that earlier this year, we blogged about a case where the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau found that disclosures @Revolve and the...more
Feeling a little sluggish, a woman in California went onto Instagram to see what other people were doing to give themselves a little energy boost. When she learned that three of the influencers she followed – Devon Windsor,...more
For years now we’ve been blogging about how much the FTC and even the SEC on occasion love scrolling Instagram posts to see what influencer are up to. This post is about another three letter organization who likes to scroll...more
As part of its on-going monitoring of influencer campaigns, NAD recently launched an inquiry to assess whether influencers Brittany Mahomes and Lana Del Rey had adequately disclosed their relationship to Skims Body – a...more
Under the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, influencers and celebrities have to disclose any material connection they have to the brands they promote “when a significant minority of the audience for an endorsement does not...more
On November 15, 2024, in Dallas, Texas, a 27-year-old social media influencer fought a 58-year-old boxing legend and approximately 108 million people tuned in to witness the spectacle. While not quite the Super Bowl, the...more
Unless you live under a rock, your news feed has been dominated by the upcoming presidential election and opinions about the respective images and branding embodied by the candidates. What seems different this time is the...more
As previously blogged about here, following notices of proposed rulemaking in 2022 and 2023, on August 22, 2024 the Federal Trade Commission finalized a rule that will impose monetary civil penalties false and misleading...more
On August 14, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) struck a blow against deceptive advertising by issuing its Final Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials. The Rule bans the creation, sale...more
Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a final rule to combat fake reviews and testimonials...more
This summer the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has turned up the heat on two companies that provide extended car repair coverage, CarShield and American Auto Shields, for deceptive and misleading advertising and telemarketing...more
Surprise, surprise, it turns out that the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) is serious about the misuse of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. In October 2021, the FTC sent out a Notice of Penalty Offenses to...more
Pandoro, a traditionally star-shaped sweet bread dusted with powdered sugar, is a favorite holiday treat in Italy, rivaled only by panettone, a domed Milanese cake with candied orange, lemon and raisins. According to newswire...more
The FTC recently made changes to its guide concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. Scott Hervey and Jessica Marlow discuss these changes and their expected impact on the influencer marketing...more
While social media influencers were showing off pictures from the Amalfi Coast this summer, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was finalizing its guidelines regarding the endorsements that paid for their vacations in Italy....more
Thank you for reading the September 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the significant revisions to the FTC's guidelines for endorsements and examine the benefits of design...more
Effective July 26, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) adopted revisions to its Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (the "Guides") to reflect the changing media landscape. The guides,...more
“Influencer marketing” generally involves collaborating with social media influencers to promote products or services in exchange for compensation, freebies, or other benefits. Contrary to popular belief, social media...more
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “the Commission”) maintains Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising to “set forth the general principles that the Commission will use in evaluating...more
By Douglas A. Thompson and Sarah Richards1 Testimonials and endorsements, especially those by high-profile celebrities, sports figures, and influencers, can shine a significant spotlight on a company’s products and services....more