Online Advertising and Marketing Developments

摘要

As financial services companies continue to increase their online presence via digital and internet advertising, regulatory scrutiny of these marketing practices has intensified at both the state and federal levels. Regulators continue to bring enforcement actions for violations of federal law while introducing new guidelines, and states adopt new laws further complicating companies' compliance programs. While financial services companies once advertised solely via broadcast and print, today's savvy marketing departments utilize newer direct marketing techniques, such as social media, while increasing their marketing spend on search engine optimization; paid search, e.g., pay-per-click and Google Ad-Words; and third-party lead generation services. Moreover, mobile internet advertising revenue is expected to eclipse wired internet advertising revenue by 2021. The proliferation of these channels has caused a corresponding uptick in regulatory risk.