FTC Cracks Down on Blogger Payola, Celebrity Tweets†

Rules on Endorsements and Testimonials Extended to Social Media

Advertising Age, October 5, 2009 — The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on blogger payola.

The agency, which protects consumers from fraud or deceptive business practices, voted 4 to 0 to update its rules governing endorsements, and the new guidelines require bloggers to clearly disclose any "material connection" to an advertiser, including payments for an endorsement or free product.

Celeb Product Hawkers Fail to Sway Consumers

Marketing Charts, August 6, 2009 — Though the media feeds consumers a constant stream of minutiae about celebrities’ private lives, and celebs who Tweet seem to have legions of avid followers, a new study of LinkedIn users by AdWeekMedia finds that most US consumers say they are not at all swayed by celebrity endorsements of products.

Will Sasha and Malia Give J. Crew a Lift?

Time, January 21, 2009 — As Barack Obama's phenomenally poised, incredibly adorable daughters smiled and waved for the cameras at the Inauguration, J. Crew got a spot on the world's biggest showroom floor. The preppy, upscale retailer was quite happy to spread the word on Tuesday that Malia Obama, 10, and her sister Sasha, 7 (or Radiance and Rosebud in Secret Service parlance), were decked out in J. Crew's children's line, called Crewcuts, for the big event. Malia wore a deep periwinkle blue coat to her dad's swearing-in, while Sasha went for an orange-and-pink combo. Fashionistas raved about the color schemes. "We are honored to be part of such a momentous occasion in both history and fashion," said Jenna Lyons, J. Crew's creative director.

Clorox Courts Sierra Club, and a Product Is Endorsed

New York Times, March 26, 2008 — SHOPPERS in the household cleansers aisle of a Wal-Mart here one recent morning glanced at Clorox’s new Green Works products with disinterest, enthusiasm and skepticism. Their comments neatly summarized the pros and cons of Clorox’s bid to appeal to customers who buy with the environment in mind.

For Clorox, a company that built its name on chlorine bleach, the products are another foray into green marketing, after its purchases of Burt’s Bees, the cosmetics company, and Brita water filters. More important, the Green Works products are about to be paired with a name — the Sierra Club — normally associated with fighting toxic waste.