You know those weight loss ads they show on TV that seem too good to be true? Well, the Federal Trade Commission says many of these are just that and some are misleading. Because of this, the FTC wants to change the guidelines for endorsements and testimonials in ads so that consumers don’t believe that these unusual weight-loss success stories are normal results.
The FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection director, David Vladeck, told the Senate Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance Subcommittee that weight-loss ads like this are harmful to consumers. He admitted that not enough funds was a reason that the agency was having problems enforcing the rules that were already in place.
Vladeck says that it is hard for some people to tell the difference between a sales ad and a technological breakthrough. He wants weight-loss supplement ads to reveal an average weight loss of consumers who had used the product. In response to this, some advertisers say that it is too difficult to find the average weight-loss because of such factors as age, diet and exercise. This said, Dr. Urvashi Rangan, the director of technical policy at the Consumers Union, and the publisher of Consumer Reports, believes that it is possible and that revealing average results is the least a company can do that is making millions selling their products.
At the moment, advertisers can claim unusual weight-loss stories as long as they have a disclaimer saying “Results not typical.” Vladeck said that these disclaimers are not effective and misleading ads are not being regulated properly.
The first proposal by the FTC to amend the guidelines for endorsements and testimonials was in November. There has not been a revision since 1980. The new revisions would be: people who are paid to endorse products have to reveal it in the ad, the ad must be able to back up its testimonials’ claims and experts must have real expertise.
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