Statement in Regard to Advertisements That Appear in Feature Article Format

NEW~ 	RELIA~E 	•FEDERAL 	TRADE 	COivl1l.rf/SS/OiV
JVashingt<1n, D.C. 	20580
OFFICE 	OF 	INFOR.HAT/ON
•
193-6800 Ext. 	197
DNEDIAXE 	Tuesday1 	November 28 ,
For RELEA 	E: 	,
Statement in Regard to Advertisements
That Appear in Feature Article Format
The Commission has recently considered the publication by va.rious print
medi& of advertisements that use the format and hnve the appearance of news or
feature articles. 	Genera.l.ly the caption 11p;pv. 11 or "ADVERTISEMENT" 	app_ea.rs at
the top of such . advertisements, but scmetimes 	it is omitted. 	The Camnission
is 	concerned that omission of the capt.ion "ADVERTISEMENT" may ca.use readers 	to
believe that the advertisement is 	in fact a feature or news article. 	The Com
mission also wishes to point out that in some instances the format of the adver
tisement may so exactly duplicate a news or feature article as to render the
caption "ADVERTISEMENT" meaningless -and incapable of curing the deception.
The Commission believes that it is 	in the public interest that publishers
and advertisers .avoid any possible deception by not placing advertisements
whose format 	simulates that of a. news or feature article. 	Inclusion in such
an advertisement of a by-line, particularly when accanpanied by the vriter's
title (s'..lch as "feature writer" or "editor11 ), may also mislead readers 	a.s to
its nature. 	Accordingly, 	the Commission cautions advertisers to avoid use of
such device .s in their advertisements, when they ma.y tend to mislead readers.
Where an advertisement 111E.l.Y have a general resemblance to the format of a
news or feature 	article, 	advertisers and publishers 	should print, 	in clea.r type
of sufficiently large size to be readily noticed, 	the word "ADVERTISEMENT"
in close proximity to the advertisement. 	Also, to a.void deception when a.n e.d
vertisement or 8Jl advertising section of this 	nature , :tends 	for more than one
page, 	the ..,ord "ADVERTISEMENT" 	should . be repeated on each page,
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