Procter & Gamble recently filed an NAD challenge against Zuru, a New Zealand-based consumer products company, over a program Zuru ran to encouarge consumers to buy Zuru’s products, post reviews on retailer websites, and submit screenshots of those reviews to obtain reimbursement. Consumers were allegedly not instructed to disclose that the reviews were incentivized.
Zuru responded that the program wasn’t problematic because reimbursement wasn’t contingent on positive sentiment, favorable ratings, or endorsement of any product attributes. Nevertheless, the company volunteered to modify its practices by instructing consumers to clearly and conspicuously disclose that Zuru had reimbursed the purchase price of the reviewed product.