The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit today against 1-800 Contacts, accusing the online lens retailer of making agreements with more than a dozen competitors to not compete with each other for online search ads, resulting in lens buyers paying higher prices. [More]
advertising
NBC Universal Will Make Original “Shows” For Snapchat
By 8.8.16
A number of high-profile entertainment companies are already programming content for Snapchat, but for the most part it’s repurposed stories, photos, list-icles, and infographics that has seen life elsewhere in the world. However, NBC Universal seems to believe Snapchat could be a platform for exclusive original content. [More]
Dog Food Company Accused Of Falsely Advertising It Could Extend Dog’s Life By 30%
By 8.4.16
As the proud pop of a pup, of course I want him to live as long and happy a life as possible. At the same time, I’d hope that any product claiming to be able to extend my dog’s years has the evidence to back up this boast. [More]
Ad Watchdog: T-Mobile Should Explain Better How ‘Ditch And Switch’ Payments Work
By 8.4.16
Mobile phone contracts as a business model are dying out, but there are still people under contract left out there, and T-Mobile wants to recruit them. Only an analysis by the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) shows that the carrier’s campaign aimed at these people, “Ditch and Switch,” advertises in a way that’s mostly true, but leaves a few important details out. [More]
Facebook Will Let Small Companies In Emerging Markets Sell Directly Through Their Pages
By 8.3.16
In an effort to expand into online commerce in regions outside of the U.S. and Canada — and get the ad dollars that go with it — Facebook will let small companies in emerging markets sell their products directly through their account pages for free. [More]
Facebook Wants To Interrupt Your Live Broadcast With Ads
By 8.2.16
Facebook Live is becoming an increasingly popular way for Facebook users to broadcast live feeds to the world, so it was only a matter of time until the social media giant tried to monetize these streams by occasionally interrupting them for commercial breaks. [More]
Expect Fewer Obnoxious DraftKings & FanDuel Ads This Football Season
By 8.1.16
Last fall, daily fantasy sports seemed to come out of nowhere, with the industry’s two biggest players — DraftKings and FanDuel — also suddenly emerging as two of the biggest spenders on TV advertising. Constant commercials, sponsored segments on sports shows; even the final season of FXX’s The League had a bizarre, shoehorned-in season-long DraftKings subplot. All these ads brought DFS gamers to the two sites, but they also attracted the attention of state regulators, resulting in Nevada and New York being added to the list of states where DFS is not (for the moment) allowed. Now the two sites say they plan to rein in their ad spending and make ads that don’t play up the aspects that make DFS look a lot like gambling to some people. [More]
Cancer Centers Tripled Ad Spending In Last Decade; Are They Pushing Hope Or Hype?
By 7.18.16
If you watch cable TV — especially basic cable during the daytime — you’ve likely seen your share of heartwarming ads showing off cancer survivors who were saved from the brink by the handsome physicians and nurses at [Fill In The Blank] cancer treatment center. Over the last decade, direct-to-consumer marketing by cancer centers has soared, with much of that spending concentrated in the hands of about two dozen operators. However, some doctors are concerned that these ads aren’t selling patients on the reality, but on the experiences of a few rare cases. [More]
Warner Bros. Paid Popular YouTubers To Post Positive Clips About Video Game
By 7.11.16
Being a “social media influencer” must be a pretty sweet deal: People send you free stuff, and pay you money just in the hopes that you’ll say nice things about their products. Problem is, those companies can get into trouble if the influencers don’t properly reveal that they were paid for their commentary. [More]
Ford Dealership Swipes Video Game Art For Ad; Doesn’t Understand How DMCA Works
By 6.27.16
We live in an age where a digital copy of just about any piece of artwork is obtainable for free with a couple of clicks and taps on your computer or phone. That doesn’t mean you can just use said artwork in an ad to tell people about some deal on a 2016 Ford Focus. [More]
Wells Fargo Must Remove Signs Built To “Photo Bomb” New Minnesota Vikings Stadium
By 6.24.16
Our brief regional nightmare is over, after a federal court ordered Wells Fargo to take down two rooftop signs erected to cash in on the impending media coverage of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium in Minneapolis. [More]
Mobile Ad Company Must Pay $950K To Settle Charges It Illegally Tracked Users’ Location
By 6.22.16
Location-based advertising allows companies to better target consumers with ads that make the most sense for them. However, tracking the location of someone without their permission is a big no-no. Just ask InMobi which must pay $950,000 and revamp its services to resolve federal regulators’ claims that it deceptively tracked locations of hundreds of millions of people, including children. [More]
Following Comcast Complaints, Ad Watchdog Says Verizon Should Revise Its “#1 In Internet Speed” Claims
By 6.16.16
Which broadband company has the blah blah blah fastest blah blah? Virtually all of them claim to be the best and speediest, using various surveys and statistics to justify their numbers, and subtly couching their boasts in language that best suits their goal. However, a private ad industry watchdog says that Comcast has a justifiable gripe about the way Verizon has advertised FiOS internet speeds. [More]
Snapchat Users Will Now See Ads Between Their Friends’ Stories
By 6.14.16
Whenever a new social media company comes around, ad-free and full of vim and vigor with a select group of devoted users, it’s only a matter of time before that clubhouse for the cool kids starts opening itself up to the masses… which in turn, leads to advertisers banging on the door. Snapchat is the latest social company to join its peers in opening up that door a little wider to advertisers. [More]
Adidas Misspells “Colombia” In Soccer Ads, Gets Sent Back To 3rd Grade Geography
By 6.8.16
Someone at Adidas must have been snoozing during the South American geography lesson in elementary school, because how else could you explain the company splashing “Columbia” all over ads featuring the Colombian soccer team? [More]
Court Slams Brakes On San Francisco’s Mandatory Warnings On Soda Ads
By 6.8.16
Only a few weeks ago, a federal court refused to halt a new San Francisco ordinance requiring soda companies to place warnings on all their ads in the city, but today that same court decided to grant a temporary injunction preventing the rule from kicking in while the beverage industry appeals its case. [More]
Your Kids’ Lesson Plans Are Being Brought To You By Pfizer, WD-40, & Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
By 6.2.16
It’s one thing for a huge drug company, manufacturer, trade group, or media conglomerate to use their considerable coffers to fund educational programs, but what about when the ultimate goal of those programs is to just advertise products, movies, and TV shows to kids and their parents under the guise of education? [More]
PSA: You Need To Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings Again To Opt Out Of New Targeted Ads
By 6.2.16
Facebook announced in recent weeks that they’re expanding their advertising empire. With that change, came a stealthy new privacy setting for users — one that all of us are opted-in to by default. [More]
