Nonprofit organization Commercial Alert Tuesday asked the Federal
Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission to require prominent
disclosure of embedded advertising on television.
The group’s request included product placement, product integration, plot
placement, title placement, paid spokespersons and virtual advertising.
Its complaint also contained a request for a rulemaking to require
conspicuous and concurrent disclosure of embedded ads on TV, a complaint against
TV networks for failure to comply with federal sponsorship-identification
requirements and a request for investigation of current product-placement
practices on TV.
"Embedded advertising is the new reality of television, and it is time for
the commission to address it," CA said. "TV networks and stations regularly send
programs into American living rooms that are packed with product placements and
other veiled commercial pitches, but they pretend that these are just ordinary
programming, rather than paid ads. This is an affront to basic
honesty."
