TTB GUIDANCE ON USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO ADVERTISE ALCOHOL BEVERAGES
Source: TTB
September 11, 2015
Industry Circular 2013-01 provides guidance to industry members who are using social media to advertise alcohol beverages.
The guidance helps industry members ensure that their advertisements appearing in social media outlets comply with the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (FAA Act) and TTB advertising regulations. These outlets include, but are not limited to, social network services such as Facebook or Twitter, video sharing sites such as YouTube, weblogs or “blogs,” forums or comment sections directly on websites, and applications (apps) for mobile devices. The circular also addresses how the FAA Act and regulations apply to links and quick response (QR) codes.
In the circular, we state our position that the advertising provisions of the FAA Act and the regulations under 27 CFR parts 4, 5, and 7 apply to all advertisements (as defined in the regulations) in any media, including social media, both in terms of required mandatory statements and prohibited practices or statements.
If you have any questions concerning IC 2013-01, please contact our Market Compliance Office by phone at 202-453-2250 (option 5) or by email at Market.Compliance@ttb.gov.