Be it a small business, or a multinational company, the scrutiny and laws governing advertising claims are uniform to all. Always bear in mind that you need to do thorough groundwork before making brazen claims in an attempt to advertise and promote your product, store or services.
Does Your Business Advertising Claims Break the Law?
Have a thorough understanding of the Federal Trade Commission Act. In general, people say they did not have the legal prowess and understanding to either read or interpret the voluminous and confusing jargon of the laws. But, as it is famously said, ignorance of law is not an excuse to violate it.
If you are under-qualified to understand or interpret the laws, make sure you have credible help from your friends already in the business, or you hire the legal experts for the same. The main objective of the law is to protect the consumer and not the entrepreneur. You do not want, under any circumstance, your advertisement to bring harm to your business.
Advertise Your Business Legally
- Never make over exaggerated claims which are impossible to believe – even with little application of common sense.
- Never take a casual approach while advertising, make a detailed study.
- Check in your line of business for any previous cases or consumer suits.
- Do not make claims which are blatantly false, especially in cases related to health and safety.
- Do not blindly believe your advertising firm.
- Do not make a false claim, even if your main rivals or counterparts did so.
- Always keep the consumer satisfaction in mind.
- Never think that you will never be caught for fraud in advertising. A good deal of shopkeepers have got caught by the long hands of justice.
- Get an idea of international best practices.
- Go through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) act line by line.
Consult with legal experts, and setup safeguards so you don’t enter into any problematic situations. It will likely be less costly to work with the legal experts beforehand than to face large fines or legal battles afterwards. Even when one looks into the success stories of some great start ups and new businesses, their clever advertising gets the credit. A good advertising can pull in a large group of customers into your store or business. A bad one can have the FTC officials knocking at your door. So be clever and play by the rules, so that you do not end up being played by the rules.
At Gutglass, Erickson, Bonville & Larson, we understand the challenges of dealing with legal issues for your business and we are here to help. Give us a call and we will be happy to answer all your questions. Call us today at (414) 273-1144.
