kopik
Create
Marketing & sales

Native advertising and sponsored content: when to label it an ad

Native advertising looks like the news, articles, reviews or entertainment around it, and the FTC says it must not mislead people about its commercial nature. Ask the assistant whether your sponsored article, widget link or product placement needs a label.

Ask your question

Free account required

Each question stands alone · 1 free a month, then with a subscription.

Answers are written by a language model solely from this base's documents, with numbered sources. They can be wrong and aren't legal, medical or financial advice: check the sources before any important decision.

Transparency is the test

It is deceptive to suggest an ad is independent or comes from someone other than the advertiser, even when its product claims are true. An ad that clearly looks different from the surrounding news may need no label; the more it resembles the publisher's format and topics, the more likely a disclosure is needed.

Headlines and thumbnails on a publisher's main page must not be deceptive "door openers". The click-into page usually needs its own disclosure too, unless it is obviously an ad.

Labels consumers understand

Terms likely to be understood include "Ad", "Advertisement", "Paid Advertisement" and "Sponsored Advertising Content". FTC staff advise against "Promoted" or "Promoted Stories", which are at best ambiguous, and note that logos or company names alone are not likely adequate.

Frequently asked questions

Do billboards inside a video game need an ad label?

Usually not, because players recognize them as ads. Advertisers remain liable for any deceptive claims on them.

Does a paid how-to video need a disclosure?

Yes, when viewers would not attribute it to the sponsor. FTC staff say the disclosure should come before people play the video.

Is the native advertising guide binding?

It is informal staff guidance supplementing the FTC's Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements. The legal basis is the FTC Act's ban on deceptive or unfair practices.

For developers and agents

Embed / API / MCP

Connect this base to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT or your own app. Each API or MCP request costs €0.10, charged to your Kopik credit (not charged if nothing is found). You need an API key: create one from your dashboard.

MCP for your agents

This base's MCP server URL (tools ask_base and search_base):

MCP URL
https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=ftc-advertising-endorsements-email-marketing
Claude Code, Cursor and other clients
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http kopik-ftc-advertising-endorsements-email-marketing "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=ftc-advertising-endorsements-email-marketing" --header "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…"
JSON config (mcpServers)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kopik-ftc-advertising-endorsements-email-marketing": {
      "url": "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=ftc-advertising-endorsements-email-marketing",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer kpk_…"
      }
    }
  }
}

REST API for your apps

mode is "answer" (written answer + sources) or "passages" (raw passages only). Add an optional maxPriceCents to cap the price: if the base costs more, the call is refused and nothing is charged.

curl
curl -X POST https://kopik.io/api/v1/bases/ftc-advertising-endorsements-email-marketing/query \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"question": "Your question here", "mode": "answer"}'

Getting started

  1. Create a key in your dashboard and top up your credit.
  2. Replace kpk_… with your key.
  3. Full details (responses, errors, JS and Python examples): developer docs.