DIGITAL ADVERTISING Digital advertising presents its own compliance considerations. The LMVC’s advertising rules apply equally to dealer websites, vehicle listing pages, social media, email campaigns and third-party platforms. The FTC’s .com disclosure guidance requires that all material terms be visible within the ad itself and not accessible only through a link or buried in a footnote. Automated inventory feeds to third-party platforms do not relieve a dealer of responsibility for the accuracy of what is displayed. Social media referral programs that compensate individuals for steering buyers to a dealership raise separate licensing concerns: The LMVC treats such arrangements as payments to unlicensed salespersons, a violation of the dealer licensing law. Louisiana’s advertising rules also contain a list of categorically prohibited statements. Among them: representations guaranteeing credit approval regardless of creditworthiness, superlative claims such as “lowest prices” or “nobody beats our deals” without substantiation, references to dealer cost or invoice, and liquidation or auction language outside of a properly licensed event. These prohibitions exist independently of any deception analysis — using the language is itself a violation. None of this regulatory framework is new, but enforcement interest in dealer advertising — at both the state and federal level — has not diminished. Dealers who treat advertising compliance as a routine part of the ad production process are in a materially better position than those who do not. Lauren Bailey is an attorney focusing on state and federal regulatory compliance. For more information on dealer advertising compliance resources, visit complyauto.com. Don’t Forget Your Dues! Membership dues are still being collected. Your support helps LADA continue advocating for Louisiana dealers and providing valuable industry resources throughout the year. You can pay your membership dues online at lada.org or by mail: Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association 660 Laurel St., Ste. E Baton Rouge, LA 70802 15
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