It comes as no surprise that some products carry claims that sound a little too good to be true. And sometimes way lots.

Who determines when an ad crosses the line between substantiated claims and unsubstantiated? 

That would be the National Advertising Review Council, created in 1971 when three leading advertising trade organizations — the American Advertising Federation, American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers — together with the Council of Better Business Bureaus announced an alliance to promote truthful and accurate adverting. NARC sets policies and procedures for advertising industry self-regulation.

A prepared statement delivered to Congress on July 22 by C. Lee Peeler, president/CEO of NARC and executive vice president, advertising self-regulation, CBBB, included descriptions of current advertising trends.

Some interesting tidbits:

Leading categories for NAD’s self-regulatory decisions: food and beverages, dietary supplements, household products, cosmetics, pet products, telecommunications services and consumer electronics.

Most common issues: Whether or not claims about the efficacy or performance of a product are adequately substantiated, whether an advertised product is indeed superior its its competition, and whether information is clearly and adequately communicated.

Trending categories: Green marketing claims, value claims, health claims and claims for products targeted at seniors.

Increasing situations: Weight-loss claims, efficacy claims for health products, claims that a product’s benefits are “clinically proven,” and claims regarding “credit rescue,” work-at-home opportunities and affiliate marketing programs.

Have you ever been misled by a product’s claims?