A Second Helping of PewDiePie?It’s not news that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has whacked brands when their paid influencers fail to acknowledge that they’re paid influencers ( PRN, March 21). Still, it’s significant when an FTC representative speaks on the record about it. So we note the remarks of Michael Ostheimer, deputy in the FTC’s Ad Practices Division, made in an Aug 5 Bloomberg story. Ostheimer reiterated the onus is on brands to make sure influencers are complying with regulations. “We’ve been interested in deceptive endorsements for decades and this is a new way in which they are appearing. We believe consumers put stock in endorsements and we want to make sure they are not being deceived.” He added, “We’re not calling up each individual” brand when infractions occur, but he confirmed FTC will “continue to go after” brands, the article said. “We hope by bringing these cases that we not only stop the marketer and influencer who didn’t have adequate disclosures previously, but also get the message out that other companies should have clear and conspicuous disclosures,” Ostheimer said. Bloomberg noted, “While [FTC] hasn’t charged an influencer for deceptive advertising, it hasn’t ruled that out.” Ostheimer added that using hashtags such as #ad is fine if it’s at a post’s beginning. #sp and #spon are not. “If you have seven other hashtags at the end of a tweet and it’s mixed up with all these other things, it’s easy for consumers to skip over that,” he said. In an interview with us, Allison FitzPatrick, an attorney at Davis & Gilbert LLP, found several items of significance in Ostheimer’s words. First, she noted the FTC’s continued aggressiveness on this issue. Second, the article “confirms what we have been saying—even though the FTC has not gone after influencers, it may do so in the future.” Last, with
the latest FTC statements and the recent Warner Bros. action that put a klieg light on influencer PewDiePie ( PRN, July 18), “the FTC appears to be focusing more on the adequacy of disclosures…it is not enough to simply make a disclosure…[it] needs to be meaningful to consumers.”
Ed Block: Normally the items in PR News Pro relate the latest trends and topics in PR and communications. This next item is an exception, yet it deserves coverage. It’s sad news from Key West, FL. Ed Block, PR News’PR Professional of the Year (1980) and co-founder of the Arthur W. Page Society and Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication at Penn State, died Aug. 16, aged 89. Known for his wit and strategic mind, Block retired as SVP, public relations, advertising and employee information, AT&T, in 1986, after 14 years with the brand. Prior to AT&T he’d worked as a newspaper reporter, radio news producer and creative director at a major ad agency, according to the Florida Keys News. Arthur Page preceded Block at AT&T. The integrity and honesty of Page inspired Block. When Block co-founded “what would become the world’s leading professional association for senior PR and corporate communications executives and educators,” he named it after Page, Penn State News said. In 2004, Block, along with Page Society co-founders Larry Foster (Johnson & Johnson) and Jack Koten (Ameritech) proposed to the Page board that it establish The Page Center, a research facility at Penn State’s College of Communications. “Now, the baton has been passed to the next generation to uphold the legacy that [Block, Foster and Koten] have left us,” Page Society chief Roger Bolton wrote in a tribute. “I hope one day when our time has passed, those who come after us might say that we were worthy of the legacy that Ed, Jack and Larry have left us….”
Listserv: In the spirit of transparency, we acknowledge the kickoff of the PR News Pro listserv hit a technical snag early August 18 that resulted in many of you being deluged with erroneous emails. We apologize humbly and regret the major inconvenience you experienced. Eventually we think the opt-in-only listserv will become a hub of activity as readers share thoughts, questions and helpful comments with fellow PR News Pro community members. Everything discussed in the listserv will be off the record unless the contributor specifies otherwise.
Platform Prater: It doesn’t often happen that Twitter leads the platform news. It did last week as it said Aug. 15 that Pepsi was the first brand for Twitter’s #promotedstickers effort. Like Snapchat’s emojis, the stickers will add another graphic element to Twitter, which has relaxed rules for brands on its Moments section and has inked a streaming deal with the NFL.
People: Ogilvy promoted PR News friend Kathy Baird to MD of content and social for N. America. Baird assumes the newly created post in addition to her role as EVP and head of social and content for Ogilvy Washington, D.C.