Structuring Product Placement Deals: Mitigating Risks to the Brand, Regulatory Compliance Negotiating Exclusivity, Creative Control and Other Key Provisions, Enhancing Brand Awareness Today’s faculty features: 1pm Eastern | 12pm Central | 11am Mountain | 10am Pacific The audio portion of the conference may be accessed via the telephone or by using your computer's speakers. Please refer to the instructions emailed to registrants for additional information. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-926-7926 ext. 1. THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019 Presenting a live 90-minute webinar with interactive Q&A Amy B. Goldsmith, Partner, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin, New York Rick Kurnit, Partner, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, New York Anne Kennedy McGuire, Partner, Loeb & Loeb, New York
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Structuring Product Placement Deals: Mitigating Risks to the Brand, Regulatory ComplianceNegotiating Exclusivity, Creative Control and Other Key Provisions, Enhancing Brand Awareness
Necessary for “Legacy Media to compete with start ups….
• advertising content that is more relevant and a better user experience
– Honestly, isn’t anything better than (annoying and ignored) banner and pop up ads?
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Media Created Brand Content
• Separate Ad content group
• Keeping the Ad Agency out saves money
• The media create interstitials and freebies
• The Marketing Department is on its own
• Consulting Legal cost money
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Section 5 of the FTC Act
An act/practice is deceptive if:
• It is likely to mislead consumers
• Who are acting reasonably under the circumstances, and
• It would be material to their decision to buy or use the product.
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Product PlacementStaff Letter to Commercial Alert
• As a general matter, “it does not appear that failure to identify the placement as advertising violates” the FTC Act. – Few objective product claims are made
– Thus, rationale for disclosure - preventing danger that consumers will be under mistaken belief that product claims are being made by an objective third party - is absent
– “One size fits all” solution not appropriate
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Product PlacementStaff Letter to Commercial Alert
• “[I]f, through product placement, false or misleading objective, material claims about a product’s attributes are made, the Commission can take action against the advertiser.”
• The FTC can take action in cases where “the line between advertising and programming may be blurred, and consumers would be deceived absent a disclosure clarifying that a communication is an advertisement.”
“[T]he column uses the format and has the general appearance of a news feature and/or article for public information which purports to give an independent, impartial, and unbiased view of the cuisine facilities. Since the column in fact consists of a series of commercial messages which are paid for by advertisers, the Commission is of the opinion that it will be necessary to clearly and conspicuously disclose it is an advertisement . . .”
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Fake NewsAmerican Media (NAD)
• SHAPE Water Boosters featured in “article” in SHAPE magazine
• Editor’s note plus 2 ads for product on different pages
• Captioned “news”
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Infomercials
Program length commercials
• “The program you are watching is a paid
advertisement”
• The FTC has prosecuted advertising disguised
as programming
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Best Practices: Product Placement
• Do not ask for final approval
• Do not dictate the message
• Do not supply materials with releases specifying advertising use
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“Placement” in a Documentary?
Facenda v. NFL Films
(542 F.3d Cir. 2008)
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Documentary=advertising= publicity rights claim
• Talent agreements specified advertising use
• Timed to air within weeks of release of game
• Included a “countdown” to release date
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Best Practices
• Do not Contractually require that specific messaging be included in editorial content as a condition of the purchase of advertising
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Editorial Content: “no quid pro quo”
Reasonable Relationship
Stephano v. News Group (N.Y. 1984)
Independent Editorial
New Kids on the Block
(9th Circuit 1992)
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Best Practices
• If you cannot keep the editorial entirely separate from the commercial content, clear it as advertising
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Branded Website=
Commercial Speech?Editorial content separated from the
marketing and sales content
Gorran v. Atkins
(2d Cir. 2008)
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Magalog
Downing v. Abercrombie + Fitch
(9th Circuit 2001)
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A magalog?
• Advertising or editorial?
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Best Practices
• Disclose any brand influence over content
• that is not obvious AND
• is likely to influence consumers’ purchasing decision…. and
• behavior (?)
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Buzz Marketing
• “buzz marketing” : a “technique by which corporations seek to influence buying decisions, often by stealth”
⚫Paid Endorser Goes on Tv to talk about
her use of the drug to treat her arthritis
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Astroturfing
(phony grassroots)
“…..put your wig and skirt on and tell them about the great experience you had”
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Best Practices: $$
After editorial is completed (independently) add links for affiliate marketing
New Kids on the Block
(9th Circuit 1992)
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Editorial Content and Commerce
• Best Practice:
• “Clear and conspicuous” disclosure of any revenue-sharing arrangement/ “affiliate” marketing
• BUT: Right of Publicity
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Right of Publicity –
• Name
• Picture/Likeness / Photograph
• Voice
• Indiana:– Distinctive appearance, Gestures,
Mannerisms
• “Persona”
• For “Commercial” Purposes
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Jordan v. Jewel Food Stores
• “Jewel’s ad has an unmistakable commercial function: enhancing the Jewel-Osco brand in the minds of consumers. This commercial message is implicit but easily inferred, and is the dominant one.”
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But I don’t even mention a product!Jordan v. Jewel Food Stores (7th Cir. 2014)
4) Multi-platform deals (buy an ad in a magazine and get your
product on special anniversary episode of game show).
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How Branded Is the Content?
▪ From a passive product placement to a dramatic infomercial
▪ Who is driving the story? Creatives or the brand?
▪ Is the product serving the story or the story serving the
product?
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Product Placement vs. Branded Entertainment
▪ In a simple product placement deal:
▪ A brand usually gives permission for its product to appear in an
entertainment product;
▪ Brand has little or no creative control or approval rights as to how
the product is featured; and
▪ Producer might not guarantee that the product appears in the final
version.
▪ Branded entertainment generally refers to a more sophisticated
arrangement between the advertiser and producer in which the
advertiser pays some or all of the production budget, the advertiser
might have more control over the final product, and both parties
engage in co-branded promotions to market both the entertainment
property and the branded product.
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Contractual Issues: Finding a Balance
▪ Content producer: wants control of the content / creative
control
▪ Advertiser: wants control of how the brand is presented
and wants to maximize exposure in the content as well as
with brand tie-ins
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Business Issues Advertisers Should Consider for
Product Placements
▪ Are you able to articulate your brand communications goals clearly to network
and production partners and any other parties who will carry your message
forward?
▪ Do you have an internal process in place to provide timely review and approvals
of the work being created at both the planning and final stages? Is approval
power vested in one person or are multiple checkpoints needed?
▪ Do you have a clear understanding of the scope of your content approval rights?
▪ Is the property you are considering in the development stage or has it reached
the point where a network has agreed to pick it up? Are you certain that all the
programming you have invested in will be broadcast?
▪ Can you leverage your programming investment using other assets, for
example, by coordinating PR and marketing campaigns in other media? Do you
have sufficient time to accomplish this?
▪ How will you measure success?
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Legal Issues Advertisers Should Consider for
Product Placements
▪ What is the structure for the product placement or branded entertainment deal? For example, who will own the entertainment content – the media consultant company, independent producers, or the network/cable channel?
▪ Do the other parties have the rights they say they do?
▪ Do you have the rights you need to exploit properties and products? Are agreements in place with other parties to exploit properties and products?
▪ Does your right of content review and/or approval ensure that your product will not be portrayed unfavorably? Do you have approval rights over cast, writers, etc.?
▪ What if the content does not go forward? Are there remedies or “make-goods” in the event of termination?
▪ Are your financing responsibilities clearly articulated? Are distribution and marketing costs clearly articulated?
▪ Are ancillary rights and exclusivity clearly articulated?
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Crucial Provisions Overview
▪ Exclusivity
▪ Scope of rights
▪ Creative control and approvals
▪ Termination rights
▪ Other issues
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Exclusivity
Key Contractual Provisions
▪ Exclusivity
▪ Will the advertiser be guaranteed its product will be the
only product depicted or the only product depicted in its
category/industry?
▪ Defining exclusivity - “category” vs. “competitors”
▪ Exclusions from exclusivity
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Scope of Rights
Key Contractual Provisions
▪ Scope of Rights
▪ Limitations on Producer’s use of brand marks / logos / product(s)
▪ Use of marks / logos / product(s) in advertising / promotion of the
content
▪ Rights inure to benefit of brand and no ownership is conveyed
▪ Reserve all rights not explicitly granted
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Creative Control and Approvals
Key Contractual Provisions
▪ Approval rights
▪ Approval vs. Meaningful Consultation
▪ Creative input through the production process, especially at key
steps of the development and production of the content
▪ If permitted, approval of use of the brand in publicity or
advertising for the content
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Key Contractual Provisions
▪ Compliance Issues
▪ Comply with “product usage” requirements or requests
▪ Safety and compliance limitations on how the product can be
used in the content and behind the scenes (e.g., placements
of vehicles or equipment)
▪ Compliance with brand guidelines
▪ Compliance with separate product usage agreement and
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
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Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
Organic vs. Sponsored Content
About the Brand Collabs Manager
Brand Collabs Manager is a marketplace that helps brands and creators find, learn more about and connect with each other. As a brand, the tool let's you:
• Set an audience match to see the percentage of each creator's audience that matches yours.
• Choose any creator or group of creators and find others with similar audiences.
• Explore customized lists of creators based on your past branded content partners, creators who like your Page and more.
• Email creators and start a conversation about collaborating.
Currently, access to the Brand Collabs Manager is limited. If you're a brand, sponsor, advertiser or marketer interested in gaining access, Page admins can apply here.
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
Native Advertising versus Sponsored Ads
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Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
Facebook and Instagram Rules
What words do the influencer or brand commonly use?
PAID PARTNERSHIP
AD
SPONSORED
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The FTC and Social Media Endorsements
FTC ENDORSEMENT GUIDELINES: 16 CFR PART 255
(b) an endorsement means any advertising message (including verbal statements, demonstrations, or depictions of the name, signature, likeness or other identifying personal characteristics of an individual or the name or seal of an organization) that consumers are likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings, or experiences of a party other than the sponsoring advertiser, even if the views expressed by that party are identical to those of the sponsoring advertiser. The party whose opinions, beliefs, findings, or experience the message appears to reflect will be called the endorser and may be an individual, group, or institution.
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The FTC and Social Media Endorsements: Who is an Endorser?
Hypothetical 1: a consumer who has sensitive skin buys a new brand of laundry detergent. She uses the detergent and does not develop a rash. She posts on Facebook about the detergent. Is she an endorser?
Hypothetical 2: the consumer is given a free sample of the laundry detergent by the company since she is a member of their loyalty club and has accrued enough points. She uses the detergent and does not develop a rash. She posts on Facebook about the detergent. Is she an endorser?
Hypothetical 3: the consumer is a member of a marketing program and receives products to test for the purpose of writing reviews. She uses the detergent and does not develop a rash. She posts on Facebook about the detergent. Is she an endorser?
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The FTC and Social Media Endorsements
What is the endorser’s obligation when posting?
• The endorser must actually use the product
What is the advertiser’s obligation?
• The advertiser must have good reason to believe that the endorser uses the product
Who is liable for false statements?
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The FTC and Social Media Endorsements: But That’s Not All!
Consumer endorsements: what does an advertiser need in its back pocket?
• Substantiation for the consumer’s representation that one consumer’s experience is representative of what other consumers might experience
Are disclaimers effective?
Should real people be used?
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The FTC and Social Media Endorsements
Expert Endorsements: really?
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The FTC and Social Media Endorsements
CLEAR AND CONSPICUOUS DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTIONS