Category Archives: The Ad Watchers Show Notes

Episode Show Notes: How Can You Ensure Your DEI Efforts Are Authentic?



00:00 – As business owners, we want our customers to feel seen and heard. We want each customer to connect with us in a meaningful way, regardless of their background or experience. Luckily, there is an easy way to ensure that happens: by creating inclusive messages and advertisements. That is why DEIB efforts are so important. DEIB stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. As companies turn their focus to inclusive messaging in their communications, it has emerged as a cornerstone for business and HR strategies. By being mindful of the language we use and how it’s presented visually, companies have the power to send a message of inclusion and acceptance—something potential buyers will not soon forget!  

00:58 – In this episode, Eric Unis, Senior Attorney at the National Advertising Division (NAD), and his colleague Annie Ugurlayan, NAD’s Assistant Director, are joined by Ingrid Otero-Smart, President and CEO at Casanova//McCann. Casanova//McCann is one of the leading Hispanic integrated communications agencies in the U.S. With over 35 years of experience. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA with offices in NY, Detroit, and Dallas. 

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Episode Show Notes: Where is the Line Between Ethical Design and Dark Patterns?



0:00-1:26 This Ad Watchers episode provides insight into “Dark Patterns.” Coined by Harry Brignull in 2010, the term “dark patterns” is used to describe design practices that trick or manipulate users into making choices they would not otherwise have made, and that may cause harm. Eric Unis, Senior Attorney at the National Advertising Division (NAD), and his colleague Annie Ugurlayan, NAD’s Assistant Director, are joined by guest Deputy Director Katherine Armstrong. Katherine is a deputy director of the National Advertising Division (NAD) at BBB National Programs. She manages NAD attorneys and the overall case management and handling of monitoring and competitor-challenged truth-in-advertising cases, supporting long-term operations planning for the 50-year-old program.

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Episode Show Notes: How is Direct Selling Advertising Different?



00:00 – This Ad Watchers episode provides insight into BBB National Program’s Direct Selling Self Regulatory Council (DSSRC) and how it works within the direct selling industry. Eric Unis, Senior Attorney at the National Advertising Division (NAD), and his colleague Annie Ugurlayan, NAD’s Assistant Director, are joined by guest Peter Marinello, the Vice President of DSSRC.

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Episode Show Notes: Revisiting the Best Podcast Episode Ever: What is Puffery?



For the fifth episode of season two, hosts Eric Unis and Annie Ugurlayan reintroduce a fan favorite episode from season one. In this episode Eric makes his Ad Watchers debut as a guest,
joining hosts Hal Hodes and La Toya Sutton to discuss puffery.
There is no universal definition for this term, but La Toya provided the following description: “Puffery is an exaggerated, blustering, or boastful statement. Or a general claim that could only be understood as an expression of opinion, not a statement of fact.”

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Episode Show Notes: How Should You Present Scientific Evidence to Support Your Ad Claims?



Ad Watchers’ episode four of season two provides advertisers insights into presenting evidence to support a claim at NAD. Eric Unis, Senior Attorney at the National Advertising Division (NAD), is joined by colleague Annie Ugurlayan, NAD’s Assistant Director, to walk listeners through what to expect when presenting a claim substantiation case. 

Annie begins by explaining that no matter the claim type, the stronger it is, the stronger its supporting evidence must also be. She states that different types of evidence bear different weights. For instance, human trials are more persuasive than animal trials when supporting a claim regarding pharmaceuticals marketed toward people. Annie also points out that it isn’t just express claims that need substantiation. Implied claims hold the same burden of proof. She uses the example of a “nontoxic” claim which would lead consumers to expect no health risks, even transient risks, to occur from the use or misuse of the product. Companies that make such implied claims must be able to provide evidence to support them. 

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