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The Federal Trade Commission and the National Advertising Division ("NAD") of the Council of Better Business Bureaus will hold a free one-day public workshop on May 22, 2001. It will explore how marketers comply with "clear and conspicuous" disclosure requirements in truth-in-advertising laws. Marketing executives, brand managers, advertising agency executives and lawyers are encouraged to attend.

Although the legal standard for advertising disclosures is well-established - they must be clear and conspicuous - law enforcers and self-regulatory bodies have noted a surprising increase in the number of cases involving ads that appear to fall short of this principle. The FTC alone brought more than a dozen cases last year challenging complicated "mouseprint" disclosures in print ads, broadcast ads, and online - also a frequent issue in competitor challenges before the NAD. The program will explore what companies can do to comply with "rules of the road" about clear and conspicuous disclosures in advertising. It will feature:

  • presentations by FTC and NAD staff;
  • a discussion by marketing experts about how consumers perceive disclosures in ads;
  • comments from industry members about the issues they face in complying with the "clear and conspicuous" standard; and
  • presentations by advertising professionals of "before-and-after" mock ads.
WHO:FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection and the NAD Council of Better Business Bureaus
WHERE:Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Room 432
Washington, D.C. 20580
WHEN:Tuesday May 22, 2001 -- 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
CONTACT:FTC Office of Public Affairs, Mitch Katz, 202-326-2161; or
Bureau of Consumer Protection, Lesley Fair, 202-326-3081
TO ATTEND:Those interested in attending should RSVP to disclosures@ftc.gov or call (202) 326-3784. Please arrive early to obtain seats in the main meeting room. All others will be accommodated in another meeting room where live video feeds will be provided.

For more information about the workshop, visit the Disclosure Exposure Web site at www.ftc.gov/disclosures.

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