Ann Taylor Escapes FTC Action

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Blogger discolsure agreements are back in the news as retailer Ann Taylor loft avoids Federal Trade Commision action for allegedly providing bloggers with gifts at a January preview of the store's summer line.

In a letter sent to Ann Taylor's lawyers this week, FTC associate director Mary Engle reiterates the agency's stance that bloggers must disclose all material connections to companies they write about. "Depending on the circumstances, an advertiser's provision of a gift to a blogger for posting blog content about an event could constitute a material connection that is not reasonably expected by readers of the blog," states the letter.

She also says that the FTC ultimately decided against bringing an enforcement action for a few reasons, including that only a small number of bloggers posted about the event; many of the ones who did so disclosed the gifts.

Another factor, according to Engle, was that Ann Taylor now has a written policy to tell bloggers who receive gifts to make disclosures. The letter states that Ann Taylor adopted that policy in February -- which would have been after the preview.
RETAILER DODGES FTC FREEBIE BLOGGER BULLET

by ClickFire Admin 04.27.2010