FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Mike Bako
D S Simon Media
212.736.2727
mikeb@dssimon.com
Media Takes “Hands Off” Approach to FTC Native Advertising Compliance
New Report Finds Only One in Five Media Outlets Have Changed Their Policies
Media outlets and digital ad networks selling native advertising are overwhelmingly putting the responsibility on brands to comply with the new FTC Guidelines. Only one in five media outlets have changed their policies since the new Federal Trade Commission’s Transparency Guidelines targeting native advertising went into effect last year. This according to the D S Simon Media Influencers Report 2016. The report outlines findings from a survey of influencers from broadcast news and radio, bloggers, website producers, magazines and newspapers. 81% of respondents in the survey said that they have not changed their policies since the new FTC rules went into effect. As an example, Buzzfeed has made its disclosure more prominent while Outbrain has not made visible changes.
“While media outlets and ad networks could make FTC Compliance automatic, they’ve chosen not to do so,” says Doug Simon, CEO and Owner of D S Simon Media. “Brands need to take it upon themselves to do so or put their organizations at risk.”
The good news for brands is the survey identified significant interest by media in using or sharing their video content at no charge. They were more likely to use, share or link to video if it was from a brand than if it was from a non-profit or individual.
“Journalists choosing to cover your story online based on the strength is a far more powerful communications tool than advertising – especially in this regulatory environment,” says Simon. “It demonstrates the power of Custom Content Media Packages™.”
The report found proper disclosure by brands is good practice – increasing chances your content would be considered 76%.
You can download a copy of the report here: DSSimon.com/Digital
Survey Methodology
The Media Influencers Report, now in its 15th year, includes results from an online survey conducted through Survey Monkey cross-platform. We received nearly 200 responses from journalists, including reporters and producers at TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, web media and bloggers.
About D S Simon Media:
D S Simon Media—Celebrating 30 years of award-winning work, D S Simon Media helps organizations achieve public relations and marketing goals through creative video production, distribution and analytics. The firm specializes in significantly increasing media placements for client campaigns cross-platform and has won more than 100 awards.