The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently sent warning letters to 12 health influencers and two trade associations concerning inadequate disclosures on Instagram and TikTok. The letters warned that inadequacies of this nature could result in civil penalties of up to $50,120 per violation. 

The letters alleged that these influencers were paid by trade associations (American Beverage Association and the Canadian Sugar Institute) to promote the safety of artificial sweetener aspartame and the consumption of sugar containing products. The influencers posted videos and pictures on Instagram and TikTok stating, for example, that “low-cal sweetener aspartame has been repeatedly affirmed as safe” and that “aspartame is safe.”  According to the FTC, each of these posts contained inadequate disclosures regarding each influencer’s connection to the sponsor.

The FTC’s Endorsement Guides state that if there is a “material connection” between an endorser (e.g., an influencer) and the marketer of a product (i.e., a connection that might affect the weight or credibility that consumers give the endorsement), that connection should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed, unless the connection is already clear from the context of the communication containing the endorsement. Material connections include, among other things, monetary payment and the provision of free products to the endorser. “Clear and conspicuous” means that a disclosure is difficult to miss (i.e., easily noticeable) and easily understandable by ordinary consumers. Consumers should be able to notice the disclosure easily, and not have to look for it.

The FTC’s disclosure requirements apply to all influencers, from micro influencers to macro influencers and celebrities. Of note, most of the recipients of the FTC’s warning letters were in the micro influencer category, one of which currently has only about 4,500 Instagram followers. 

The FTC cited a number of inadequacies in the influencers’ disclosures, including the following:

  • “The videos did not include any disclosures in the videos themselves. Viewers can easily watch a video without reading disclosures in a post’s text description. There should be clear and conspicuous disclosures in the videos themselves, for example, by superimposing much larger text over the videos. In your first three videos, you made endorsements visually, so the disclosures should have been made visually. In the fourth video, the endorsement was made through both visual and audible means, so the disclosure should have been made both in the video’s visual and audible portions.”
  • “You relied upon the ‘Paid partnership’ disclosure tool in making your disclosure in your July 13 Instagram post. The [FTC] has previously expressed concerns about the conspicuousness of such built-in disclosure tools alone. We think it is too easy for viewers to miss seeing the ‘Paid partnership’ disclosure in your posts. (That does not mean that you should not use such tools in addition to other disclosures).”
  • “The #sponsored disclosures appear in or below the seventh line of each post description, making them insufficiently conspicuous. When people view Instagram posts, longer descriptions are generally truncated, with only the first two or three lines displayed unless viewers click on the text description. Any required disclosure should be presented without having to click. In addition, an Instagram Reel’s text description is in small print, at the bottom of the screen, sometimes poorly contrasting, and doesn’t stand out. Videos have many competing elements. We therefore do not think that a disclosure in the text description of such posts is clear and conspicuous.”
  • “Even if viewers read the words ‘Paid partnership with ameribev’ and ‘#ad’ disclosures, they may be inadequate in the context of your post because you may not have adequately identified the sponsor. Viewers might not understand that the sponsor is promoting the sale of aspartame or products containing it. Also, many viewers may not understand what ‘ameribev’ is. Without knowing who the sponsor of the post is, viewers might not be able to adequately evaluate the weight and credibility of your endorsement.”

Some takeaways:

  • A material connection disclosure should match the medium of the message (e.g., if a disclosure is made through visual and audible means, the disclosure should be in the video’s visual and audible portions). 
  • Do not rely upon the “Paid partnership” disclosure tool in making your disclosure (that does not mean that you should not use such tools in addition to other disclosures).
  • The material connection disclosure should be conspicuous.
  • Adequately identify the sponsor of a post. #ad alone may not be sufficient in the context of the post.
  • Don’t assume that you don’t have to follow the rules because your following is small.

Influencers should revisit their practices when it comes to sponsored posts, taking into account these warning letters along with the revised Endorsement Guides.  If you need assistance with material connection disclosures, feel free to reach out to Lauren Carey.

If an influencer has a long-standing relationship with a brand, is a material connection disclosure necessary in every post about the brand? Similarly, do influencers with their own product lines need a material connection disclosure when posting about their own products?

Common sense would suggest probably not. The FTC would say try again.

Below are a couple of helpful FAQs on this topic from the FTC:

QUESTION: An influencer has millions of followers on Instagram and is well-known as a spokesperson for a particular brand/product. Does the influencer have to disclose being paid in every post about the brand/product?

ANSWER: It depends on what viewers of the post would understand. If a significant minority of viewers do not know about the relationship and would care if they did, the relationship should be disclosed. Determining whether the audience for a post is aware of and cares about a relationship can be tricky, so the FTC recommends disclosure. Also, if a disclosure is needed in one post for a brand, it’s probably needed in all posts, because you can’t assume that viewers will see multiple posts.

QUESTION: An influencer creates their own brand and sells their product through their social media accounts and website. Do they need to disclose anything?

ANSWER: If it is obvious from an influencer’s endorsement that that the brand is the influencer’s own, no disclosure is necessary. If it’s not clear or sometimes not clear that it’s the influencer’s brand, that fact should be disclosed.

Learn more about the FTC guidelines in my last blog post. If you need assistance with material connection disclosures, feel free to reach out to Lauren Carey.

As we previously reported, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released final updates to its Endorsement Guides on June 29, 2023. All parties involved in the dissemination of sponsored content (e.g., influencers, brands, intermediaries) have an obligation to understand, follow and monitor compliance with the revised Endorsement Guides. Below is a summary of the key provisions relevant to influencers, which were mostly previewed by the FTC in May 2022.


Disclosure of Material Connections
Where there is a connection between an influencer and a brand that might materially affect the weight or credibility of the influencer’s statements (e.g., because the influencer was paid by a brand or received free or discounted products from a brand), and that connection is not reasonably expected by the audience, such connection must be disclosed “clearly and conspicuously” (see next section for more on this). In other words, a material connection must be disclosed if a “significant minority of the audience” does not understand or expect the connection. The FTC did not prescribe magic language for purposes of this disclosure, but has generally taken the position that #ad, #advertisement or #sponsored are effective disclosures, if disclosed clearly and conspicuously. To illustrate, the FTC provided the below guidance in its Endorsement Guides Q&A:


The FTC doesn’t mandate the specific wording of disclosures. Regardless of the advertising medium or platform, the same general principle applies: people should get the information they need to evaluate sponsored statements. Starting a post with “Ad:” or “Paid ad” or “#ad” or “Advertising:” or “Advertisement” would likely be effective. The words “Sponsored” and “Promotion” at the beginning of a post might also be effective, but “Sponsored by XYZ” or “Promotion by XYZ” would be clearer (where “XYZ” is a brand name).


Clear and Conspicuous
The revised Endorsement Guides adopt the definition of “clear and conspicuous” that the FTC proposed in May 2022. “Clear and conspicuous” means a disclosure is difficult to miss (i.e., easily noticeable) and easily understandable by ordinary consumers. For example, if the endorsement is visible without having to click on the link labeled “more,” but the disclosure is not visible without doing so, then the disclosure is not difficult to miss and thus is not clear and conspicuous. A platform’s built-in disclosure tool may not be sufficient if such a disclosure is easy to miss and thus not clear and conspicuous. To illustrate, the FTC provided the below examples:

An influencer who is paid to endorse a vitamin product in their social media posts discloses their connection to the product’s manufacturer only on the profile pages of their social media accounts. The disclosure is not clear and conspicuous because people seeing their paid posts could easily miss the disclosure.

Assume now that the influencer discloses their connection to the manufacturer but that, in order to see the disclosures, consumers have to click on a link in the posts labeled simply “more.” If the endorsement is visible without having to click on the link labeled “more,” but the disclosure is not visible without doing so, then the disclosure is not unavoidable and thus is not clear and conspicuous.

Assume now that the influencer relies solely upon a social media platform’s built-in disclosure tool for one of these posts. The disclosure appears in small white text, it is set against the light background of the image that the influencer posted, it competes with unrelated text that the influencer superimposed on the image, and the post appears for only five seconds. The disclosure is easy to miss and thus not clear and conspicuous.


Influencer Liability
Influencers may be directly liable for their sponsored content that fails to comply with the revised Endorsement Guides:


Deceptive Statements –> An influencer may be liable for statements in a post that the influencer knows, or should know, are deceptive (e.g., when an influencer falsely represents that he/she personally used a product).


Misleading or Unsubstantiated Statements –> An influencer may be liable for misleading or unsubstantiated statements regarding a product’s performance or effectiveness (e.g., when statements are inconstant with the influencer’s personal experience, were not made or approved by the brand, or go beyond the scope of the influencer’s personal experience).

Failure to Disclose Material Connection –> An influencer may be liable for failing to disclose unexpected material connections between themselves and a brand.

Influencers (and brands that utilize influencers) should review the revised Endorsement Guides against their own policies and practices to ensure they align. If you have any questions, or need assistance updating your policies and practices, please reach out to Lauren Carey.

The business side of social media influencers is not exactly glamorous, and the legal side even less so. That being said, arming yourself with the appropriate legal tools can help prevent a lot of headaches and lost revenue down the road. Below are a few legal tips and best practices for social media influencers to protect their brand and business.

ONE. Trademark Your Personal Brand.

Trademark registration protection is key in order to build and protect your brand’s value. Trademarking your brand may help prevent others from using your branding, or confusingly similar branding, in the same space. A trademark gives you the right to take legal action against anyone who infringes upon your brand or uses it without permission.

If your personal brand is a vital aspect of your influencer business (which is likely the case), you should consider seeking trademark registration protection for your influencer brand names, social media handles, blog name,  personal brand elements (e.g.,  logos, taglines) and/or other identifying marks that are often used to promote your business. The earlier you pursue this process, the better.

TWO. Copyright Your Content.  

Copyrights protect original works of authorship, such as photos, videos, written text, blog posts and website content. If you create an original work and memorialize it in some manner (e.g., posting it online), you are the copyright owner. Although not legally required, adding a copyright notice may help deter others from stealing your content. A copyright notice should include the copyright symbol (i.e., ©), the year of first publication and the name of the copyright owner (which, ideally, should be your LLC – see THREE below).

THREE. Form an LLC.

Forming a limited liability company (LLC) for your influencer business can help shield you from liability. Generally, if you properly treat your LLC as a separate entity, your personal assets (e.g., bank account) would be off limits for purposes of satisfying any of the LLC’s debts or obligations. Once formed, you will want to open a separate bank account for your business, enter into contracts in the name of your business and title any assets of the business (e.g., trademarks) in the name of the business. Note: there are other business entity options available, but LLCs are the most popular, particularly in this space, because they are generally straightforward and inexpensive to form and maintain. 

FOUR. Review Your Contracts/Lawyer Up.

Influencer agreements often include legally binding language pertaining to intellectual property ownership (e.g., specifying who, as between the brand and the influencer, owns the content created by the influencer in connection with a collaboration or campaign). Generally, these types of agreements are structured in one of two ways – either the influencer will retain ownership of the content and license it to the brand for a limited purpose, or the brand will take ownership of the content in which case it can use the content in any manner, sometimes forever, without further compensation to the influencer. An attorney can help you navigate these issues and ensure that your interests are protected.

If you need assistance protecting your brand from a legal perspective, feel free to reach out to Lauren Carey.  

What if you had to tell your followers how much money you received for a sponsored post?

This is what one public commenter suggested when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sought public comment on, among other things, the material connections section of the Endorsement Guides in 2020. The commenter requested that the Endorsement Guides require influencers to state the amount of their compensation because it will help “star-struck consumers appreciate the lack of honesty in celebrity posts”.

In the most recent round of public comments on the Endorsement Guides (which recently ended on September 26, 2022), another commenter warned that disclosing exact compensation could create an enormous safety risk to influencers.

The FTC has taken the position that the disclosure of a material connection does not require the complete details of the connection, but it must clearly communicate the nature of the connection sufficiently for consumers to evaluate its significance. Note that the SEC takes a different approach where influencers promote investment opportunities, including crypto asset securities, in which case the influencer must disclose the nature, source and amount of any compensation received in exchange for the promotion (see here).

If you have questions on material connection disclosures, please reach out to Lauren Carey.

The FTC’s proposed updates to the Endorsement Guides provide that influencers may be liable for their misleading or unsubstantiated statements regarding a product’s performance or effectiveness when their representations are inconsistent with the influencer’s personal experience, or were not made or approved by the brand and go beyond the scope of the influencer’s personal experience. Brands may similarly be liable for such misleading or unsubstantiated statements where there is a connection between the brand and the influencer. To help illustrate this point, the FTC provided the below example:

A skin care products advertiser hires an influencer to promote its products on the influencer’s social media account. The advertiser requests that the influencer try a new body lotion and post a video review of it. The advertiser does not provide the influencer with any materials stating that the lotion cures skin conditions and the influencer does not ask the advertiser if it does. However, believing that the lotion cleared up their eczema, the influencer says in their review, “This lotion cures eczema. All of my followers suffering from eczema should use it.”

In this scenario, the advertiser and the influencer could be subject to liability for misleading or unsubstantiated representations made through the influencer’s endorsement.

Key Takeaways for Influencers:

>> Make sure you have a reasonable basis for your claims.

>> Limit your claims to your personal experience.

Key Takeaways for Brands:

>> Provide guidance to your influencers to ensure their statements are truthful and substantiated.

>> Monitor your influencers’ compliance and take steps necessary to remove any noncompliant content.

If you have questions on what this could mean for your ad campaign, please reach out to Lauren Carey.

 

As we previously reported, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released proposed updates to its Endorsement Guides. If implemented, the proposed updates will impact everyone involved in the dissemination and monetization of sponsored content (e.g., social media influencers, brands, social media platforms, ad agencies, public relation firms). This blog post summarizes some of the key proposed updates relevant to influencers.

What are the Endorsement Guides

By way of background, the Endorsement Guides were first enacted in 1980 and are intended to help ensure that endorsements (think sponsored content) and testimonial advertising (think customer reviews) conform with Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce. The Endorsement Guides do not carry the force of law, and are thus advisory in nature, but they set the tone for FTC interpretations and potential enforcement actions.

The newly proposed updates aim to modernize the Endorsement Guides (which have not been updated since 2009) to reflect brands’ growing reliance on social media to market products. The FTC is soliciting public comments on its proposed updates through September 26, 2022 (see here for instructions on how to submit a comment).

Influencer Liability

The proposed updates would clarify that an influencer may be liable for statements in a post that he/she knows, or should know, are deceptive. The level of due diligence required by the influencer will depend on the influencer’s level of expertise and knowledge, among other factors. An influencer may also be liable if he/she makes misleading or unsupported statements about performance or effectiveness that are inconsistent with the influencer’s personal experience or that were not made or approved by the brand and go beyond the scope of the influencer’s personal experience. Furthermore, under the proposed updates, influencers who rely on insufficient built-in platform disclosures could be liable for any shortcomings in such disclosures.

Disclosure of Material Connections

Where there is a connection between an influencer and a brand that might materially affect the weight or credibility of the influencer’s endorsement, the Endorsement Guides currently require influencers to fully disclose that connection. The proposed updates would clarify that such disclosure must be “clear and conspicuous” (see definition immediately below) and would add an exception to this requirement where the connection is “understood or expected by all but an insignificant portion of the audience.” A material connection in this context includes a business, family or personal relationship, monetary payment, free or discounted products or services or early access to a product.

Under the proposed updates, this disclosure must clearly communicate the nature of the connection sufficiently for consumers to evaluate its significance, but does not need to include the complete details of the connection. The FTC has not prescribed magic language for purposes of this material connection disclosure as part of its proposed updates.

Clear and Conspicuous

In the proposed updates, “clear and conspicuous” would be defined as a disclosure that “is difficult to miss (i.e., easily noticeable) and easily understandable by ordinary consumers.” The proposed updates would include specific guidance with respect to visual and audible disclosures, stress the importance of “unavoidability” and say that the disclosure should not be contradicted or mitigated by, or inconsistent with, anything in the post.

Endorsements

The Endorsement Guides currently define an “endorsement” as any advertising message that consumers are likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings or experience of a party other than the sponsoring advertiser (again, think sponsored content). The proposed updates would expand the scope of this definition to include merely tagging a brand in a post. As a practical matter, this means that an influencer’s post could fall under the purview of these rules if he/she tagged a brand without otherwise explicitly mentioning the brand.

Influencer’s Current Opinion of a Product  

While an influencer cannot endorse products they no longer use, the proposed updates would clarify that the FTC does not require influencers to modify or delete prior posts, so long as those posts are clearly dated and not reposted.

Endorsements Directed to Children

As part of the proposed updates, the FTC is contemplating adding a new section to the Endorsement Guides dedicated to endorsements directed to children. The FTC plans to hold a public event this Fall to gather more information on this issue. More to come.

Influencers (and brands that utilize influencers) should review the proposed updates against their own policies and practices to ensure they align. If you have any questions, or need assistance updating your policies and practices, please reach out to Lauren Carey.

In March 2020, Teami, LLC (Teami), a marketer of teas and skincare products, agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that, among other things, social media influencers hired by Teami failed to adequately disclose that they were being paid to endorse Teami products on social media. The FTC filed a federal court complaint against Teami and sent warning letters to several well-known influencers who endorsed Teami products on social media (including Jordin Sparks, Adrienne Bailon, Jenicka Lopez, Leyla Milani-Khoshbin and Cardi B). The letters emphasized each influencer’s obligation to disclose their material connection with a brand when endorsing products on social media. Below are a few of the social media posts that were at issue in the Teami case.

If an influencer has a connection with a brand or company that might affect the weight or credibility that consumers give the endorsement, that connection should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed. This means the influencer should use clear language and make their disclosures stand out.

In the Teami case, the FTC emphasized that the disclosure should (1) be above the “more” button, (2) not be hidden among multiple tags, hashtags, or Instagram handles and (3) be included in all related posts.

If an influencer fails to make adequate disclosures about their material connections to a brand, the individual influencer and the brand may be subject to legal enforcement action by the FTC.

Curious about the three Ws (when, where and what) of social media disclosures? Check out this blog post. If you have any questions, please reach out to me.

Have you received free (or discounted) products and/or money from a brand to mention their product(s) in a video or post? If so, certain disclosures may be required by law. As an influencer, it is your responsibility to make these disclosures.

When to Disclose

A disclosure is required when you have a relationship with a brand. You have a financial relationship with a brand if the brand gives you anything of value to mention their product (e.g. free product, discounted product, money). Telling your social media followers about this kind of relationship is important because it allows them to weigh the value of your endorsement. Note, however, if you mention a product that you paid for yourself, there is no need to disclose the absence of a relationship.

What to Disclose

A simple explanation is generally sufficient (e.g. “Thanks to [name of brand] for the free product”). If using a hashtag to identify a material connection, make it clear, such as:

>> #ad

>> #advertisement

>> #sponsored

>> #[name of brand]ambassador

>> #[name of brand]partner

Avoid ambiguous hashtags to identify material connections, such as:

>> #sp

>> #spon

>> #thanks

>> #ambassador

>> #partner

>> #collab

Where to Disclose

Make sure people will see and understand the disclosure. You should avoid burying the disclosure in a bio or among a series of hashtags or other disclosures. For an in-feed Instagram post, disclose a material connection before the “More” button. On Instagram stories, superimpose the disclosure over the picture. In a live stream, repeat the disclosure as needed to ensure that viewers see it. In a video, place the disclosure within the video itself, not just in the description of the video. In other words, place the disclosure so it is hard to miss.

Other Tips

>> Do not assume that a platform’s disclosure tool is good enough, but do consider using it in addition to your own disclosure.

>> Do not assume your followers already know about your brand relationships.

If you have any questions on disclosures (why we use them, where to put them, how to write them), please reach out to Lauren Carey.

Behind every sponsored post is an influencer agreement. Influencer agreements can range in sophistication, but are generally drafted with an objective of being relatively brief and signed by the influencer with little or no need for negotiation. That being said, these documents contain serious legal implications and should be read carefully and tailored as needed.

Understanding the terms of your influencer agreement can (1) maximize your negotiating power and (2) ensure your own compliance.

Influencer agreements should address key business terms, such as the length of the agreement (typically tied to a campaign), compensation or other incentives, frequency of posts, platforms on which the posts should be made and whether the company requires review of any content before posting. When reviewing these terms, the influencer should make sure that they accurately reflect the deal.

Agreements with influencers will also contain a number of legal terms, some of which are briefly summarized below:

Exclusivity: An exclusivity provision may limit the brands that an influencer can work with during the length of the campaign and optionally for a time period afterward. An influencer will want to limit the time and scope of this provision, or strike it altogether, in order to maximize their ability to work with other brands.

Ownership: Companies typically prefer outright ownership of the intellectual property rights in the content influencers create for them. That being said, influencers may push back and seek to keep ownership of their posts.

Use of Influencer’s Name, Likeness and Information: The agreement may include permission to use the influencer’s name, likeness and identifying information if the company wants the right to promote its connection with the influencer. Companies try to ensure they can use this information without needing to seek further consent or approval from the influencer. An influencer will want to review the scope of this provision to understand what it covers and narrow the language if needed.

Confidentiality: This provision generally requires the influencer to keep confidential certain information he or she learns in connection with the campaign. If the company is particularly sensitive about disclosing confidential information, it may require the influencer to sign a stand-alone confidentiality agreement.

Indemnification: This provision may obligate the influencer to compensate the company for losses or damages that may occur in connection with the arrangement. An influencer may try to strike this obligation or at least limit their indemnification obligations.

Other tips:

>> Read and understand the company’s social media endorsement policy, which is often incorporated into its form influencer agreement.

>> Industry-specific laws, rules or regulations may be layered into an influencer agreement.

If you have any questions on influencer agreements (how to read them, why we draft them, when to negotiate them), reach out to Lauren Carey.