The practice of sneaking advertising messages into news programs was a big inside-the-Beltway topic of discussion a few years back, and now the similar internet practices are coming under federal scrutiny. The FTC is hosting an event to look into it.
The FTC stated, “The workshop, ‘Blurred Lines: Advertising or Content?’ will bring together publishing and advertising industry representatives, consumer advocates, academics, and self-regulatory organizations to explore: the ways in which sponsored content is presented to consumers online and in mobile apps; consumers’ recognition and understanding of it; the contexts in which it should be identifiable as advertising; and effective ways of differentiating it from editorial content.
It’s a full day event held at the FTC’s Washington DC headquarters. Here’s the agenda:
9:15: Registration
10:00 Welcoming Remarks
* Edith Ramirez, Chairwoman, Federal Trade Commission 10:15 A Historical FTC Perspective: Advertorials, Infomercials, and Paid Endorsements
* Lesley Fair, Staff Attorney, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission 10:30 The Wall Between Editorial and Advertising: Its Origins and Purpose
* Nicholas Lemann, Professor of Journalism, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
11:00 Panel 1
Sponsored Content in Digital Publications: The forms it takes and how it operates
Moderator: Laura M. Sullivan, Staff Attorney, Division of Advertising Practices, Federal Trade Commission
Panelists:
* Tessa Gould, Director of HuffPost Partner Studio, Huffington Post
* Todd R. Haskell, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, Hearst Magazines Digital Media, Hearst Corporation
* Lisa LaCour, Vice President of Global Marketing, Outbrain Inc.
* Chris Laird, Marketing Director, Brand Operations, The Procter & Gamble Company
* Ash Nashed, Chief Executive Officer, Adiant
* Adam Ostrow, Chief Strategy Officer, Mashable, Inc.
* Steve Rubel, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Strategist, Edelman
12:30 Lunch Break
1:30 Lessons of Nauru
* Bob Garfield, Co-host of On the Media and MediaPost columnist
2:00 Panel 2
Consumer Recognition and Understanding of Native Advertisements
Moderator: Michael Ostheimer, Staff Attorney, Division of Advertising Practices, Federal Trade Commission
Panelists:
* Jamie Cole, Creative Director, Red Barn Media Group
* Michelle De Mooy, Senior Associate, National Priorities, Consumer Action
* David J. Franklyn, Professor, Director of the McCarthy Institute for IP and Technology Law University of San Francisco School of Law
* Greenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Sharethrough, Co-Chair of Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Native Advertising Taskforce
* Chris Jay Hoofnagle, Lecturer in Residence and Director of Information Privacy Programs, Berkley Law & Technology Center
* Jeff Johnson, Principal Consultant, UI Wizards
3:30 Break
3:45 Panel 3
The Way Forward on Transparency: A discussion of best practices
Moderator: Mary K. Engle, Associate Director, Division of Advertising Practices, Federal Trade Commission
Panelists:
* Laura Brett, Staff Attorney, National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus
* Sid Holt, Chief Executive, American Society of Magazine Editors
* Amy Ralph Mudge, Partner, Venable LLP
* Jon Steinberg, President and Chief Operating Officer, BuzzFeed Inc.
* Robin Riddle, Global Publisher of WSJ Custom Content Studios, The Wall Street Journal
* Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen
* Mike Zaneis, Senior Vice President, Public Policy and General Counsel, Interactive Advertising Bureau
5:30 Closing Remarks
* Jessica Rich, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission
