*Storesonline, Ecommerce and Advertising*

Did you know the same rules that apply for print, audio and video advertising are also true for Internet advertising?

In the United States the Federal Trade Commission is charged with the enforcement of ?truth in advertising? standards ? even on the web.

Interestingly, it is the web designer or advertising agency that must validate the claims of the business. Essentially the manufacturers claims must be validated if advertising is going to be distributed that will make a claim. Since the ad agency or the web designer may be held partially liable for the advertising on a site it is always in their best interest to make sure the claims of the manufacturer can be validated.

Because certain product descriptions are lengthy and certain claims have conditions the use of disclaimers (or fine print) may be required to ensure you are following Internet advertising laws.

The FTC does allow autoresponder emails to ?fill in the blanks? on Internet advertising in some cases. If a potential customer signs up for more information then a full-disclosure of the products claims, contest conditions or other disclaimers may be sent to the prospect as a condition of full disclosure.

It is safe to say that many online businesses either are unaware of these rules or simply believe they will never be caught, but the FTC does look into fraudulent advertising ? even on the web.

Understanding the rules of advertising will not only help you avoid problems later, it can actually help you devise a credible, well established advertising campaign now.