The Elusive Truth

To advertisers, the Federal Trade Commission lately has often seemed like a relentless white tornado, working to make them come clean about their products. But the agency's most ambitious undertaking--a program to make thousands of big advertisers produce documentary evidence backing up their claims for product pricing, safety and performance--has so far proved a disappointing dud. Over the past year, the effort has produced a mountain of data but little more than a molehill of definite proof or definitive disproof of product plugs.

The FTC has so far received written evidence from makers of autos, electric shavers, TV sets, air conditioners, dentifrices, hearing aids, detergents, tires and cough remedies. Most of it has been placed in the FTC's eleven region al offices, where consumer groups can examine it. Much of the "documentation," however, is either so vague or couched in such technical gobbledygook that it is all but useless in helping consumers to reach informed buying decisions-- the FTC's aim.

To some consumer advocates, that in itself is enough to stir new suspicion of advertising. Democratic Senator Frank Moss of Utah charges "wide spread and flagrant" failure of advertisers to substantiate their claims. His contention is based on a special study made for him by the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. A sampler of the results:

> General Motors touted its Chevrolet Chevelle as having ten advantages that keep the car from "becoming old before its time." As proof, G.M. told the FTC that the Chevelle comes in a "full line of models" and has such features as body by Fisher, two front head restraints (which are required by law) and back-up lights. The FTC study notes: "No explanation was given on how these features constituted advantages" over other cars.

> Chrysler said in its ads that torsion-bar suspension gave extra "ease in handling." In substantiation, it submitted a "braking attitude test chart" measuring results in "inches of front suspension jounce" and the outcome of a "dynamic beam and twist" test expressed in quantities of "first mode resonance." What do these terms mean? Chrysler did not explain.

> Schick asserted that its Lite Touch shaver for women would not cut or nick. Its proof was an interoffice memo describing results of informal tests conducted by a panel of female employees. The tests were made after the FTC asked Schick to back up its plug.

> Raytheon ads stated that the company's Amana air conditioner "takes only minutes to go from carton to cooling." The only evidence it gave the FTC was a copy of the installation manual and an admission that the length of time it would take to put in the air conditioner could "vary from person to person."

Not all the documentation has been skimpy. Sears, Roebuck and Carrier Corp., for example, satisfied the FTC that they could fully prove what their ads said about their air conditioners. Still, Consumer Protection Bureau Chief Robert Pitofsky and his staff concluded, after preliminary analysis of 282 claims from 32 companies, that 30% were inadequately documented, another 30% were supported by data too technical for consumers to understand, and 13 assertions were backed by no evidence at all. The obvious question is why, then, the FTC has not moved against those advertisers who could not convince it that their claims were true. The agency generally has not been shy about forcing advertisers to run "corrective" ads taking back things said formerly. Two weeks ago, for instance, it got two sugar trade associations to agree to run full-page ads admitting that sugar is not useful in weight-reduction programs, as previous ads had asserted.

FTC officials say they never intended to assess all the data received, but only wanted to have them made available. In any case, officials say that the agency simply does not have the staff to evaluate claims in the torrent of alleged "substantiation" pouring in on it. It has, however, stimulated some consumer groups to act on their own.

The Georgetown University Law School Institute has hired an electronics expert to study the data submitted by TV-set makers and hopes to have ready by year's end a report on which claims are well supported. The Consumer Interest Foundation, a unit just formed by Consumers Union, plans to study the FTC data with a view toward setting up more effective standards for documenting ad claims. Senator Moss is readying for the next session of Congress a bill that would force advertisers to send to any consumer who asks for it the same documentation substantiating ad claims that they have submitted to the FTC. Although bewilderment so far is the main result of the FTC program. such efforts may yet curb admen's wilder flights of fancy.

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