Ethics Alerts

In recent years, consumer privacy has garnered a lot of attention and scrutiny from legislators and regulators. The latest alarm has been sounded by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding business practices involving anonymized data.

ANA’s Consumer Affairs department has seen an increase in fake car warranty offers and marketing offers cloaked as unpaid invoices. In response, the group has created this update, providing guidance and resources on the subject.

This ethics update focuses on the pitfalls to avoid when marketing to children as well as provides you with key tips for how to do so in an effective, respectful, and safe manner.

Older consumers rule the marketing landscape in many ways. But as we market to them, areas of concern continue to arise. This ethics update focuses on best practices to employ in sweepstakes and prize promotions to protect the vulnerable — our older and/or mentally impaired Americans.

Building consumer trust and brand trust is vital! ANA offers key guidance and a robust toolkit to help meet the needs of consumers and manage your direct mail campaigns.

Technological advancements, big-tech privacy moves, regulatory and legislative changes continue to shape the digital advertising landscape. ANA, DAA, and PRAM offer committees, guidance, principles, and other resources to help your company stay abreast of these issues.

Dark patterns are defined as web design tricks some companies use to intentionally confuse and take advantage of consumers — i.e., pop-ups with tiny X’s that make a window hard to close and subscriptions with hidden fees that a person cannot cancel without making a lengthy customer service call.