New Era in Advertising Begins: Ministry of Trade Announces New Regulations

The Ministry of Trade has introduced significant changes to the Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices Regulation due to the increasing exposure of consumers to advertisements and announcements with the rise of digitalization. The new regulation, which will come into effect on August 1, includes new rules to protect consumers in many areas, from targeted advertising to influencer promotions and discounted sales advertisements. According to the regulation, advertisers will be required to provide consumers with direct and easily accessible information about the criteria used in targeted advertising and how these criteria can be changed. Additionally, targeted advertising using profiling methods based on personal data of children will be prohibited. Social media influencers will be required to use the terms 'advertisement' or 'promotion' in their posts made in exchange for any gain, discounted products, services, or event participation. In discounted sales advertisements, the lowest price applied in the last 10 days before the start of the discount can be shown as the pre-discount price by striking it out. For perishable products such as fruits and vegetables, and services, the last price before the discount will be considered. The regulation also brings significant changes to environmental claims in advertisements. General expressions such as 'environmentally friendly' cannot be used without explanation. Environmental claims in advertisements must specify which stage of the product or service life cycle they cover.