Author: Operations Team

Acquisition enables legal customers to extract key insights from internal data and combine trusted LexisNexis content and AI capabilities for personalized generative AI drafting experience

NEW YORK – LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of information and analytics, today announced it has completed its acquisition of Henchman, a legal tech company that enriches data from Document Management Systems (DMS) for faster document drafting. Belgium-based Henchman has 170+ legal and corporate customers globally including top U.S. and European law firms and companies.

As previously announced on June 3, 2024, Henchman’s advanced technology enables law firms and corporations to quickly extract insights from their internal data repositories. LexisNexis will combine this technology with its own AI technology, trusted content, and drafting guidance to deliver new, personalized generative AI drafting solutions in products including Lexis+ AI^™ and Lexis^® Create.

“LexisNexis and Henchman share a vision of transforming legal work with personalized AI solutions,” said Mike Walsh, CEO LexisNexis Legal & Professional. “Together, our teams will make it easier and faster for customers to deliver high-quality legal work using generative AI that is grounded in both their internal firm data and LexisNexis content and tools. Customers asked for this capability, and we are delighted to answer. The acquisition will provide exciting new ways for customers to create value for their clients, as well as their organizations, using legal AI specifically tailored to their needs.”

LexisNexis is responsibly developing legal AI solutions with human oversight. LexisNexis, part of RELX, follows the RELX Responsible AI Principles, considering the real-world impact of its solutions on people and taking action to prevent the creation or reinforcement of unfair bias.

Lexis+ AI delivers trusted results with state-of-the-art encryption and privacy technology to keep data secure. Using an extensively enhanced LexisNexis proprietary Retrieval Augmented Generation 2.0 platform, Lexis+ AI responses are grounded in the world’s largest repository of up-to-date legal content which ensures the highest-quality answer with the most up-to-date validated citation references. Uploaded documents are always purged at the end of each session and users can easily manage or delete their prompt conversation history.

The solution is continually improving with hundreds of thousands of rated answer samples by LexisNexis legal subject matter experts used for model tuning. LexisNexis employs over 2,000 technologists, data scientists, and subject matter experts to develop, test, and validate its solutions and deliver comprehensive, authoritative information.

To learn about Henchman and LexisNexis’ ongoing development and be among the first to learn about new personalized generative AI drafting capabilities, visit www.lexisnexis.com/henchman-DMS.

For more information on Lexis+ AI and our generative AI resources for legal professionals, visit www.lexisnexis.com/ai.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional
LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional provides legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase their productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis^® and Nexis^® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,800 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.
 
Media Contact
Dana Greenstein
Director of Communications, North America & UK
LexisNexis Legal & Professional
212-448-2163
dana.greenstein@lexisnexis.com

New York, NY – July 17, 2024 – In a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge brought by competitor Mead Johnson & Company, LLC, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division determined that use of a flag image on product packaging for Kendal Nutricare’s Kendamil infant formula reasonably conveys a supported message about the products’ origin.

NAD, however, recommended Kendal modify claims to disclose the product’s country of origin in certain contexts.

Fast-Track SWIFT is an expedited process designed for single-issue advertising cases brought to the National Advertising Division (NAD).

Kendal manufactures certain Kendamil products in the United Kingdom (UK) from milk sourced from the UK and other European countries.  

Mead Johnson argued that Kendal’s use of a blue circular logo with nine gold stars on packaging for Kendamil infant formula and on its website conveys the misleading message that products made in the UK are made in the European Union (EU).

NAD determined that Kendamil’s packaging reasonably conveys a supported message about the products’ origin. NAD noted that the flag logo appears in a context where the net impression is that products originate from the European continent as a whole, including the UK. Moreover, the UK is identified as the country of origin on the bottom of the packaging. 

However, NAD noted that Kendal’s US website displays the nine-star blue flag image without a specific country of origin identified (just references to Europe generally). Accordingly, NAD recommended that if any specific products are referenced in conjunction with statements about the products’ geographic roots and the flag logo, Kendal should clearly and conspicuously disclose that product’s particular country of origin. 

In its advertiser statement, Kendal stated that it is “grateful to the NAD for its determination that the use of the European Flag Icon on our infant formulas packaging is appropriate. We accept the NAD’s recommendation to provide further context when the European Flag Icon appears on the US website.”

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. The National Advertising Division reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.

Organizations can now utilize Nexis+ AI’s transparent Gen AI capabilities to access trustworthy content sources and powerful summarization to achieve faster time to insights

New York, NY – July 17, 2024 – LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of information and analytics, today announced the commercial launch of Nexis+ AI™, incorporating advanced generative AI-powered capabilities designed to transform and accelerate corporate research, intelligence gathering and business decision-making functions. Enhanced by more than 700 hours of in-depth customer interviews, Nexis+ AI is tailored to meet the evolving needs of modern businesses. Corporations can now deploy Nexis+ AI’s powerful research, intelligence and document summarization features to find accurate information effortlessly, gain a competitive advantage and boost efficiency.

Trusted for over 50 years by thousands of corporations globally, LexisNexis delivers critical business decisioning information from a huge repository of licensed news publications and corporate data on millions of companies. Nexis+ AI leverages a portfolio of over 20,000 licensed titles, with GAI rights granted by some of the largest publishers and industry-recognized titles such as The Associated Press, Gannett, McClatchy, Benzinga, FiscalNote – CQ Roll Call, and many others. With Nexis+ AI, users can:

• Quickly research and analyze business, financial and legal information and news;
• Summarize lengthy documents and extract relevant entities and data points;
• Compile, organize and share content;
• Create first drafts or outlines of intelligence reports with a few mouse clicks; and
• Derive actionable business insights with speed and precision.

“Business leaders across nearly every industry tell us they need deeper, more accurate insights to better facilitate timely decisions, but they find the amount of corporate data daunting and the process time consuming. Recognizing this, we’ve created Nexis+ AI to accelerate data-intensive research and strategic decision-making,” said Todd Larsen, President of Nexis Solutions. “We worked closely with our customers to develop Nexis+ AI’s powerful tools that help organizations gather corporate intelligence faster and seamlessly integrate into their existing workflows for greater efficiency.”

Publisher IP and Revenue Protection

With the growth in popularity of AI and generative AI tools, publishers and content owners have increasingly focused on protecting their copyright and intellectual property. LexisNexis has long-standing, extensive – and in some cases exclusive – content licensing agreements with publishers. These relationships allow LexisNexis to deliver contextually relevant, Gen AI-derived answers, with direct links to the original source material, to help minimize the risk of AI hallucinations.

With Nexis+ AI’s publisher-first approach, publishers can:

• Ensure their intellectual property rights are respected, knowing that their content is never used to train any AI models without their knowledge or permission;
• Rest assured that their content is presented transparently and in context to preserve brand integrity, with citations taking users back to the source material; and
• Get paid fairly for the use of their content, whether that use is by human or by machine.

Commitment to Excellence
Earlier this year, LexisNexis launched a Nexis+ AI commercial preview program that granted early access to a select number of organizations. The preview program enrolled testers across a wide range of industries and professions, including representatives from large corporates, financial institutions, and six major consulting firms, among others, to ensure further refinement of the platform’s already advanced features and functionality.

“The launch of Nexis+ AI represents a significant first milestone in our mission to provide organizations with the tools they need to accelerate company research and make informed business decisions,” said Dani McCormick, Vice President of Product, Nexis Solutions

Strong Focus on Transparency, Data Accuracy, Privacy and Security

LexisNexis’ commitment to data security and privacy spans more than 50 years. The company employs more than 2,000 technologists, data scientists and subject matter experts to develop, test, and validate its solutions. With data privacy top of mind among corporate executives considering Gen AI solutions, LexisNexis, part of RELX, follows the RELX Responsible AI Principles, considering the real-world impact of its solutions on people and taking action to prevent the creation or reinforcement of unfair bias.

Nexis+ AI also provides transparency and accuracy by design, utilizing retrieval augmented generation (RAG) to enhance the precision and reliability of generative AI models with information fetched from thousands of trusted, authoritative sources.

For more information about Nexis+ AI, please visit https://lexisnexis.com/NexisAI.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional 
LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional provides legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase their productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis^® and Nexis^® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,800 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. 

Media Contact:

Leela Bozonelis, Global Product Marketing Director
Nexis Solutions, a Division of LexisNexis
929-383-8781
leela.bozonelis@lexisnexis.com

Jennifer Johnston, Plat4orm PR
208-989-9962
jennifer@plat4orm.com

New York, NY – July 16, 2024 – BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division has closed a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge initiated by Oral Essentials, Inc. regarding claims that competitor GuruNanda’s coconut pulling oil products, Coconut + Mint Pulling Oil and Cocomint Pulling Oil with 7 Essential Oils, can “naturally reverse a cavity” and “reverse cavities.”

Oral Essentials produces and markets oral hygiene products under its Lumineux brand. GuruNanda makes personal and oral care products focusing on holistic care.

Fast-Track SWIFT is an expedited process designed for single-issue advertising cases brought to the National Advertising Division (NAD).

The challenged claims appeared in videos on influencers’ TikTok and Instagram accounts, with some reposted to GuruNanda’s official Instagram page.

GuruNanda informed NAD that it would permanently discontinue the challenged claims, including content made by affiliated influencers and content reposted to its own advertising and social media pages. Therefore, NAD did not review the claims on their merits and will treat the claims, for compliance purposes, as though NAD recommended they be discontinued.

In its advertiser statement, GuruNanda stated that it will comply with NAD’s decision and that it “did not authorize these claims,” however it is “committed to truthful advertising and will use every resource available to ensure that parties known to us, by any means, who are making these false statements about our products will cease making such claims.”

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. The National Advertising Division reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.

Contact:
Jennie Rosenberg
Media Relations
BBB National Programs
press@bbbnp.org

• Texas becomes 11th MICHELIN Guide destination in North America

• MICHELIN Guide Inspectors are already in the field, finding culinary gems

AUSTIN, July 16, 2024 — The MICHELIN Guide has arrived in the Lone Star State, as Michelin and Travel Texas today revealed the MICHELIN Guide Texas.

Texas is home to award-winning barbecue, locally sourced seafood and steaks, and savory Tex-Mex to name a few. The state’s vibrant and mature gastronomic scene showcases culinary talents rooted in Texas culture and inspired by international cuisines both near and far.

“The Texas culinary scene has proven to be an exhilarating one, with multicultural influences, homegrown ingredients and talent that is rich in ambition,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. “Foodies and travel enthusiasts alike will find something to enjoy, with such a broad dining scene spanning farm-to-table dishes, fusion cuisine, upscale dining and the famous Texas-style barbecue. Texas is a perfect fit for the MICHELIN Guide, based on the experiences of our anonymous Inspectors.”

The first MICHELIN Guide Texas selection will be revealed later this year, and it will feature culinary gems in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

The anonymous MICHELIN Guide Inspectors award the iconic MICHELIN Stars – one, two or three – to unparalleled cuisine. The Guide is also renowned for its Bib Gourmand selection, highlighting restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices. The MICHELIN Green Star is given to restaurants that are leaders in sustainable gastronomy. Recommended restaurants and special professional awards are also highlighted by the Inspectors.

The MICHELIN Guide’s anonymous Inspectors are already in the field, making dining reservations secretively and paying for all their meals to ensure they are treated the same as any other customer.

“The MICHELIN Guide Texas will illustrate to global travelers the culinary journey that’s waiting to be discovered in our state, featuring restaurants that embody our heritage and introducing innovative chefs and local artisans who are redefining our food scene,” said Tim Fennell, director of Travel Texas. “The introduction of the Guide will be a tremendous asset for Texas, promoting our rich and diverse food culture and elevating the restaurant scene to an international stage.”

The MICHELIN Guide is constantly observing the evolution of culinary destinations around the world. The MICHELIN Guide selections process remains completely independent. While selections remain fully independently determined by anonymous Inspectors, the MICHELIN Guide is working with Travel Texas on marketing and promotion activities only.

The 2024 Texas restaurant selection will join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels later this year and will feature the most unique and exciting places to stay in Texas and around the world. Every hotel in the Guide is chosen for its extraordinary style, service and personality – with options for all budgets – and each hotel can be booked directly through the MICHELIN Guide website or app.

History and methodology

The upcoming Texas restaurant selection will follow Michelin’s historical methodology, based on five universal criteria, to ensure each destination’s selection equity: 1) quality products; 2) the harmony of flavors; 3) the mastery of cooking techniques; 4) the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; 5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year).

The MICHELIN Guide remains a reliable companion for any traveler seeking a great meal. The Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage tire sales by giving practical advice to French motorists. Michelin’s Inspectors still use the same criteria and manner of selection that were used by Inspectors in the very beginning, now applied in destinations around the world.

Michelin published its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have since been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2008, statewide 2019); Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida (2022); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Atlanta (2023); and Mexico (2024).

About Michelin North America, Inc.

Michelin, the leading mobility company, is working with tires, around tires and beyond tires to enable Motion for Life. Dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility and sustainability, Michelin designs and distributes the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its customers’ needs. Michelin provides digital services, maps and guides to help enrich travels and make them unique experiences. Bringing its expertise to new markets, the company is investing in high-technology materials, 3D printing and hydrogen, to serve a wide variety of industries—from aerospace to biotech. Headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, Michelin North America has approximately 23,500 employees and operates 35

production facilities in the United States and Canada. (michelinman.com)

About Travel Texas

Travel Texas, within the Governor’s Economic Development & Tourism Office, is responsible for the promotion of Texas as a premier travel destination for domestic and international visitors alike. In partnership with convention and visitor bureaus, local chambers of commerce, private travel-related organizations and associations, Travel Texas works diligently to showcase the rich culture, history, landscapes, and experiences that Texas offers.

The MICHELIN Guide Worldwide app for iOS and Android devices.

https://guide.michelin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MICHELINGuideWorldwide
https://www.instagram.com/michelinguide
https://www.youtube.com/@MICHELINguideInternational

 

For more information, contact:
Carly Grieff
Michelin North America – External Communications
carly.grieff@michelin.com

New York, NY – July 15, 2024 – BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division will refer advertising claims made by Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. for its Human Milk Fortifier to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review. The referral was made after Prolacta declined to participate in the industry self-regulation process.  

Mead Johnson & Company, LLC challenged Prolacta’s claims that its human milk-based fortifier products have been shown in clinical studies to be more effective at improving health outcomes in premature infants as compared to cow milk-based fortifier products.

Express Claims

• Claim that “Compared to cow milk-based fortifiers, an Exclusive Human Milk Diet (EHMD) with Prolacta’s 100% human milk-based nutritional products has been clinically proven in multiple clinical studies to” produce certain health benefits.
• “When used as part of an exclusive human milk diet (EHMD), Prolacta’s nutritional products are clinically proven to improve health outcomes and reduce hospital costs for critically ill, extremely premature infants as compared to cow milk-based fortifier…”
• “When used as part of an EHMD, our nutritional products are clinically proven to increase survival and reduce the overall cost of care compared to cow milk– based fortifiers . . . in extremely premature infants.”
• “Prolacta products used as a part of that EHMD, as compared to cow milk–based fortifiers, have been shown in clinical studies to benefit critically ill, premature infants in the NICU weighing ≤1250g at birth in many ways…”

Implied Claims

• Prolacta’s HMF products have been proven through rigorous scientific testing to provide better health outcomes than all cow milk-based HMFs, including those manufactured by Mead Johnson.

Prolacta declined to substantively respond to the challenge. Due to Prolacta’s decision to not participate in the NAD self-regulatory process for these claims, NAD will refer the matter to the FTC and FDA for review and possible enforcement action.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.   

New York, NY – July 11, 2024 – In a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge brought by T-Mobile US, Inc., BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division recommended that AT&T Services, Inc. discontinue or modify the claim that its Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) is presently available to consumers.

Cellular networks offer broad coverage throughout the United States, however, there is still limited cell signal coverage in large portions of the country. AT&T’s “Epic Bad Golf Day” commercial, starring Ben Stiller, presents a solution from AT&T to this issue through SCS coverage. AT&T has announced plans to offer SCS for customers in remote, unserved areas, however, concedes that this coverage is not yet available.

Fast-Track SWIFT is an expedited process for single-issue advertising cases brought to the National Advertising Division (NAD). At issue was whether AT&T’s “Epic Bad Golf Day” commercial conveys the message that SCS is presently available from AT&T.

NAD found one reasonable message conveyed is that AT&T is advertising the current availability of SCS from AT&T. Accordingly, NAD recommended that AT&T either discontinue the claim that SCS is presently available to AT&T consumers or modify the claim to clearly and conspicuously disclose that SCS is not available now.

NAD noted that nothing in its decision precludes AT&T from making truthful and non-misleading aspirational claims about SCS.

In its advertiser statement, AT&T stated that it will appeal NAD’s decision because it “maintains its position that there is no implied message of present satellite calling availability” and that “the commercial is simply a comedic romp that clearly showcases AT&T’s investment in the future of satellite calling.”

Appeals of NAD decisions are made to the BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appellate-level truth-in-advertising body of BBB National Programs.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.  

New York, NY – July 9, 2024 – In two Fast-Track SWIFT challenges brought by Move, Inc., BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division recommended CoStar Group discontinue certain claims relating to the volume of traffic to CoStar’s website, Homes.com, including:

• “Homes.com just reached 156M monthly unique visitors.”
• “Homes.com now has DOUBLE Realtor.com’s traffic.”

Fast-Track SWIFT is an expedited process for single-issue advertising cases brought to the National Advertising Division (NAD).

In the first challenge, Move challenged CoStar’s monadic claims about traffic to Homes.com. NAD recommended that those claims be discontinued because the claims conveyed a message that Homes.com attracts 156 million monthly unique visitors when that figure was based on combined total traffic, calculated using Google Analytics, for 16 other CoStar websites. According to Google Analytics, Homes.com itself has 110 million monthly unique visitors.

In the second challenge, NAD considered the accuracy of the challenged comparative claim that “Homes.com now has DOUBLE Realtor.com’s traffic.” NAD determined that this claim is not supported and recommended that it be discontinued because Homes.com’s claimed 110 million monthly visitors are not “double” the 66 million unique visitors claimed by Realtor.com. NAD declined to reach the question of whether Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics, both site centric data gathering tools, could both be used together to make a single comparison of website visitors.

NAD noted that nothing in these two decisions precludes CoStar from making other truthful and non-misleading claims about the number of unique visitors to its websites collectively, or to any of its individual websites, or comparative claims about Homes.com’s traffic.

In its advertiser statement, CoStar stated that it will comply with NAD’s recommendations.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. The National Advertising Division reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.

Contact:
Jennie Rosenberg
Media Relations
BBB National Programs
press@bbbnp.org

New York, NY – July 9, 2024 – In a challenge brought by the Colgate-Palmolive Company, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division determined that The Procter and Gamble Company (P&G), in connection with advertising for its Dawn Platinum Dishwashing Liquid, had a reasonable basis for its express Invisible Grease Claims, as well as the implied claim, “Any difference in removal of grease and food residue between Dawn Platinum and Palmolive Essential Clean is meaningful to consumers.”

However, the National Advertising Division (NAD) recommended that other challenged claims be discontinued or modified.

The challenged advertising appeared in P&G’s “Closer Look” advertising campaign for Dawn Platinum Dishwashing Liquid and consisted of two commercials and a 5-second gif.

99% Food and Grease Removal Claims

The National Advertising (NAD) determined that, in context, P&G’s claims that Dawn Platinum removes 99% of food and grease residue convey a comparative performance message. Specifically, that the Dawn Platinum concentrated product is superior to Colgate’s Palmolive Essential Clean non-concentrated product at removing food and grease.

Because NAD concluded that P&G did not provide testing to support a comparative 99% grease removal claim, NAD recommended that the claims be modified or discontinued.

Invisible Grease Claims

The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that P&G’s evidence was reliable and provided support for the reasonable basis for the comparative Invisible Grease Claim, as well as the implied claim, “Any difference in removal of grease and food residue between Dawn Platinum and Palmolive Essential Clean is meaningful to consumers.”

Colgate also challenged a side-by-side dramatization that showed invisible, residual grease remaining on dishes by highlighting its presence using a blue light on the surface of plates hand washed with Palmolive Essential Clean and Dawn Platinum. NAD found the dramatization reasonably conveys the message that consumers will experience the difference in grease removal as depicted.

NAD found that the difference in the amount of grease that Dawn Platinum left on dishes compared to the amount that remained on dishes washed with Palmolive Essential Clean is consumer relevant, however the depiction of the grease left by Palmolive Essential Clean is inconsistent with the evidence in the record.

NAD therefore recommended that P&G modify or discontinue the challenged advertising to avoid conveying the unsubstantiated, implied message that the dramatization shown in the ads reflects grease residue that is typical of what consumers will experience using Palmolive Essential Clean versus Dawn Platinum.

In its advertiser statement, P&G stated that it will comply with NAD’s decision and although it disagrees with a number of NAD’s conclusions, it respects the NAD process and will take NAD’s recommendations into account for future advertising.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. The National Advertising Division reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.

Contact:
Jennie Rosenberg
Media Relations
BBB National Programs
press@bbbnp.org

New York, NY – June 28, 2024 – Following a BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division challenge brought by competitor Vesync Corporation, Homintell Inc. (d/b/a Afloia Direct) voluntarily discontinued claims for various models of its air purifiers.

Vesync argued that independent third-party tests showed that Afloia’s claims regarding products compliance with HEPA and/or H13 standards are unsubstantiated and misdescribed in Afloia’s marketing materials.

In response to the challenge, Afloia presented testing that it argued showed its filters meet and exceed HEPA and H13 standards but represented that it would voluntarily permanently discontinue its HEPA and H13 claims.

Therefore, the National Advertising Division (NAD) did not review the claims on their merits and will treat the claims, for compliance purposes, as though NAD recommended they be discontinued.

In its advertiser statement, Afloia stated that it agrees to comply with NAD’s decision and that it “does not concede that there was anything misleading about the claims but has decided to voluntarily discontinue the claims at this time.”

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.