NARB ProgramBackgrounds

National Advertising Review Board

The National Advertising Review Board (NARB) is the appellate body for the U.S. system of advertising industry self-regulation. Five-member NARB panels hear cases appealing an NAD or CARU decision and provide independent industry peer review, ensuring truthfulness and accuracy in national advertising and helping promote voluntary compliance of its decisions—a key pillar of industry self-regulation.

Program Impact

NARB, established in 1971 as a fair and impartial appellate body, reviews appealed NAD or CARU decisions. Nominated by various leading organizations in the advertising industry, NARB members are selected for their stature and experience in their fields. 

 

 

Truth & Transparency

When a competitor’s advertising harms consumer trust or threatens a company’s reputation and market share, the advertising self-regulatory system creates a level-playing field for business and helps ensure consumers receive truthful and accurate advertising.

Compliance

After a decision, NARB or the challenger can check in on whether the advertiser has made appropriate modifications to its advertising and has 10 days to respond. The case is closed if there is a good faith effort to bring their advertising into compliance.

Non-Compliance

In cases of lack of good faith efforts to modify or discontinue advertising as a result of a NARB decision, NARB will refer the case to an appropriate government agency, usually the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
 

For the last 50 years in the advertising industry, companies have held each other to a higher standard. In response to the pressures and criticisms of consumerism that had mounted during the previous decade, in 1971 the advertising industry established the National Advertising Division (NAD) and National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the U.S. mechanism of independent self-regulation that has stood the test of time and technological innovation.

 

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Guidelines & Procedures


Any advertiser or challenger has the right to appeal NAD’s decision to NARB. An advertiser has an automatic right of appeal. A challenger must request permission to appeal from the NARB chair and explain why it believes there is a substantial likelihood NARB would come to a different conclusion on a case than NAD. 

 

News & Blog

Press Release

BBB National Programs Announces 98 Distinguished Panel Pool Members for 2024 National Advertising Review Board

McLean, VA – January 9, 2024 – BBB National Programs today announced the 98 panel pool members of the 2024 National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appellate body for the U.S. advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. 

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Press Release

BBB National Programs Announces 91 Distinguished Panel Pool Members for 2023 National Advertising Review Board

McLean, VA – January 10, 2023 – BBB National Programs today announced the 91 panel pool members of the 2023 National Advertising Review Board, the appellate body for the U.S. advertising industry’s system of self-regulation, selected for their stature and experience in their fields.

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Blog

Take Care of Your “Health-Lite” Claims

Some advertisers believe they can avoid scrutiny when making health-related claims by making their claim “softer.” But context is key. Health benefit claims must comply with the FTC’s Health Products Compliance Guidance. The substantiation bar is not lowered by changing the approach to the health-related claim.
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Blog

Big Game Ad Claims: Trends & Lessons Learned

It’s time again for the Big Game, when we gather to watch the most expensive commercials of the year. As brands create memorable content, it is important they remember to make all claims truthful and accurate. This year, as you watch brands’ creative efforts, keep these lessons learned from past NAD cases in mind.
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Decisions

Decision

National Advertising Review Board Recommends Mint Mobile Discontinue or Modify Certain Claims for its Wireless Service

New York, NY – February 8, 2024 – A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) recommended that Mint Mobile modify or discontinue cost-per-month pricing promos, discontinue the “cut out the cost of retail service and passed those sweet savings directly to you” claim, and discontinue disparaging social media...

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Decision

National Advertising Review Board Recommends Comcast Discontinue Use of “10G” When Referring to the Name of its Network

New York, NY – February 5, 2024 – A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) recommended that Comcast discontinue use of the term 10G in the product service name “Xfinity 10G Network” and when 10G is used descriptively to describe the Xfinity network.

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Decision

National Advertising Division Recommends Lily of the Desert Nutraceuticals Discontinue “100% Pure Avocado Oil” Claim for Tropical Plantation Avocado Oil

New York, NY – April 15, 2024 – The National Advertising Division recommended that Lily of the Desert Nutraceuticals discontinue the claim “100% Pure Avocado Oil” for its Tropical Plantation Avocado Oil and avoid conveying the unsupported message that the product is 100% pure avocado...

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Decision

National Advertising Division Finds Certain Fenty Skin Melt AWF Cleanser Performance Claims Supported; Recommends Modifications to Disclosures

New York, NY – April 12, 2024 – The National Advertising Division determined, as part of its routine monitoring program, that Fenty Skin LLC provided a reasonable basis for certain claims for its Melt AWF Jelly Oil Makeup-Melting Cleanser.

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BBB National Programs provides summaries of all case decisions in the Case Decision Summary library. For the full text of National Advertising Division, National Advertising Review Board, and Children’s Advertising Review Unit decisions, subscribe to the Online Archive. For members of the press, the full text of any BBB National Programs decision is available by emailing the request to press@bbbnp.org

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

 

 

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