If the answer is no, then you may not be happy about the way the FTC is interpreting the guidelines for product endorsers.
A star who does claim to use a product must be using it at the time of the endorsement. And the sponsor can run the spot for only that period of time.
What’s more, the commercial arrangement must be disclosed in some situations. For example, a pro tennis player who says on a talk show that her game has improved has to disclose that she is paid by the clinic–provided she names it.
“Consumers would not expect that a celebrity discussing a medical procedure in a television interview to be paid for doing so,” the FTC says.
I wonder how far this goes. If an actress is a paid Chanel endorser and she wears a different perfume for a night out, would she be "guilty?" If Brett Favre endorses Wrangler jeans and is caught wearing Levi Strauss, what's the penalty? If an artist's song is used by a wireless carrier in a TV spot, does that mean that group needs to all have wireless plans with that carrier? And what of race car drivers with cars sponsored by Viagra or Prilosec, for example?
Interesting issue. I'll get back at it later...
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