TINA’s Take: FTC Takes Crucial Step Forward in Holding Deceptive Made in USA Marketers Accountable
FTC finalizes its Made in USA Labeling Rule.
TINA.org’s Made in USA Actions
A review of TINA.org’s work uncovering (and putting an end to) deceptive made in the USA ad campaigns.
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Editor’s Note: In a 3-2 vote, the FTC in July 2021 finalized its Made in USA Labeling Rule. Our original post follows.
From Walmart to Williams-Sonoma, TINA.org has over the last several years uncovered numerous marketers making deceptive made in the USA claims for products that aren’t as red-white-and-blue as advertised.
Below is a list of companies and entities whose made in the USA claims have run afoul of the FTC’s Made in USA standard — which states that products marketed as made in the USA must be “all or virtually all” made in the United States, meaning they contain no or “negligible” foreign content — and the successful actions TINA.org took to halt the deceptive marketing and protect consumers.
| Company
(Year) |
TINA.org Action | TINA.org’s Findings | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almay
(2015) |
Complaint to the FTC and New York Attorney General | “Almay Simply American” national ad campaign was replete with U.S. flags and patriotic symbols when 95% of its products did not meet the legal Made in USA standard. | Almay changed its slogan to “Almay the American Look” and later dropped its American slogan altogether. |
| Walmart
(2015, 2016, and 2021) |
Complaint to the FTC | Walmart’s website was riddled with hundreds of false made in the USA representations for products that contained imported parts or were entirely made in foreign countries. | Walmart removed its Made in USA labels and added a disclaimer to every product webpage stating that consumers should not rely on the website for accurate origin information. |
| GSA Advantage!
(2016) |
Complaint to U.S. General Services Administration | The GSA Advantage! website contained more than 100 inaccurate made in the USA representations for products made in other countries. | All U.S.-origin errors identified in TINA.org’s sampling were updated or removed. |
| Street Dirt Track
(2016) |
Ad Alert | After the company moved some of its manufacturing overseas, eBay listings for its lift and level kits were inaccurately labeled “Made in USA.” | “Made in USA” label was changed to “Designed in the USA” on one of the products. |
| Target
(2017) |
Complaint to the FTC | Despite a previous FTC investigation, Target’s website was still falsely marketing products as “Made in the USA” when they were wholly or partially made in other countries. | Target addressed all deceptive origin claims in TINA.org’s sampling, either by correcting or removing the origin information. |
| Step2
(2017, 2023) |
Warning Letter, Ad Alert | Toy company deceptively marketed its product line as “Made in the USA” when 90% of products were wholly or partially made outside of the U.S.
Several years later, a kitchen playset was marketed as made in the USA when it was made in Vietnam. |
Step2 suspended its made in the USA campaign and, later, removed origin claims made about the kitchen playset at issue. |
| Gillette
(2018) |
Complaint to the FTC | National marketing campaign falsely claimed that products were made in Boston when most were made in foreign countries, or contained non-U.S. components. | Gillette removed its deceptive made in the USA marketing materials from publication. |
| Kia
(2018) |
Ad Alert | Company’s 2018 President’s Day commercial claimed Sorento and Optima were “made right here in America” without adequately disclosing that vehicles were only assembled in the U.S. | Kia changed the language in the commercial to “assembled right here in America” and removed the “USA” logo. |
| Wolverine
(2018) |
Ad Alert | Marketing materials for Wolverine’s Original 1000 Mile boots misleadingly represented that the boots were made in the USA when certain materials used in the boots were imported. | Wolverine removed its “Made in the USA” webpage, “Handcrafted in Michigan” banner and #madeinUSA from Instagram posts. It also clarified that the boot is “[b]uilt in Michigan with suede from Italy.” |
| Frank Clegg
(2018) |
Ad Alert | Website banner stated that products have been “Made in America since 1970” without adequately disclosing that its leathers are tanned in Europe and the hides originate in France. | The company removed the phrase “Made in America” from its website. |
| Mercedes-Benz
(2019) |
Warning Letter | National marketing campaign for 2019 Sprinter van claimed the vans are “Built in the USA” when most were imported from Germany and the remainder assembled in the U.S. | Mercedes-Benz USA removed the “Built in the USA” claim from its marketing materials. |
| Williams-Sonoma
(2019) |
Complaint to the FTC | Despite a previous FTC investigation, TINA.org found more than 800 products on Williams-Sonoma websites (including Pottery Barn, Rejuvenation and West Elm) marketed as made in the USA that were either imported or made with imported parts. | The FTC filed an administrative action against Williams-Sonoma, which resulted in a consent order that requires the company to pay $1 million and to stop making false and unsubstantiated U.S.-origin claims about its products. |
| Hoover
(2020) |
Ad Alert | Hoover misleadingly represented that its PowerDash carpet cleaner was made in the USA without adequately disclosing that it was made with globally sourced components. | Hoover added a disclaimer to the product page telling consumers to “check packaging for country of origin information.” |
| GhostBed
(2020) |
Ad Alert | A Labor Day campaign claimed its mattresses and pillows were “proudly made in the USA” when at least one of its pillows was made in China. | In response to an FTC inquiry, the company removed unqualified U.S.-origin claims from advertisements. |
| New Balance
(2021) |
Complaint to FTC | For more than a decade, New Balance has marketed and labelled sneakers using unqualified made in the USA claims without properly disclosing that a substantial portion of the sneakers – including the soles – are imported. | A class-action lawsuit was filed against the company following TINA.org’s complaint. |
| Several Car Companies
(2022) |
Notification letters to seven car companies | Vehicles marketed as “built,” “manufactured,” or “made” in the United States were made using imported parts and assembled in the U.S. | Four of the car companies removed certain marketing materials flagged by TINA.org. |
| Williams-Sonoma
(2023) |
Complaints to FTC | Williams-Sonoma violated a 2020 consent order by continuing to falsely market products as Crafted in America. | After the Department of Justice, on behalf of the FTC, sued the company in federal district court, Williams-Sonoma agreed to a settlement that requires it to pay a record $3.175 civil penalty. |
For more of TINA.org’s coverage of made in USA marketing claims, click here.
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MUSA Recidivists
1. New Balance In 1996, the FTC brought an administrative action against New Balance for making deceptive U.S.-origin claims about its sneakers. Since at least 2009, the company has marketed…