The FTC Needs to Update Its .com Disclosures Guidance
TINA.org submits a comment to the FTC urging it to update its .com Disclosures guidance to help rein in deceptive marketing.
UPDATE 4/15/21: Fyre Festival ticket holders have been awarded $7,220 each as part of a proposed $2 million settlement agreement between certain ticket holders and the trustee of the Fyre Festival estate. Our original article follows.
Attendees of the Fyre Festival, a music festival hosted by recording artist Ja Rule and scheduled to take place this weekend and next in the Bahamas, may find themselves to be victims of false advertising.
Organizers of the event relied heavily on social media influencers, such as Victoria’s Secret models Alessandra Ambrosia and Elsa Hosk and “It Girls” Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin, and Emily Ratajkowski, to pitch the festival to their millions of followers (TINA.org would note a lack of #ad in many of these posts…) Promotional videos made by event organizers featured plenty of scantily-clad women in luxurious beach settings. However, the reality of the festival has not lived up to expectations.
Event management posted today that the event had been cancelled. Will those who shelled out thousands for this “once-in-a-lifetime musical experience” be receiving refunds? Time will tell.
UPDATE 5/2/17: Fyre Media and festival co-founders Ja Rule and Billy McFarland are facing a $100 million class-action lawsuit alleging fraud. Read TINA.org’s coverage here.
You Might Be Interested In
5 Takeaways from #NAD2021
Checking in on the system of self-regulation in the ad industry.
TINA.org Suggests Updates to How the FTC Regulates Endorsement Advertising
On June 22, 2020, TINA.org responded to the FTC’s request for comment on the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (referred to here as the Endorsement…