The Block: CASE 8
Creator literacy and sponsorship
1: STORY
A creator recommends a backpack as a favorite. A viewer could reasonably treat that first screen as a personal review and use it to decide whether to keep watching or buy the bag. The information that the company supplied the product appears only after opening “more,” where the disclosure says “gifted.”
The brand's email makes the arrangement clearer: it will send the backpack free, provide no payment, and leave posting optional. There is no evidence of a cash fee or a required positive review. There is evidence of a benefit from the company whose product appears in the recommendation. Both details matter.
The packet's FTC guidance summary says material connections can include free products and that disclosures should be clear and hard to miss. That principle helps explain why location matters. A disclosure can exist somewhere in a post while still being absent from the screen where viewers first encounter the endorsement.
Your editing task is to rewrite that opening screen so the relationship is understandable before viewers decide how much weight to give the recommendation. The creator can state that the backpack was free, no payment was made, and posting was optional. The sources do not settle the product's quality or a specific enforcement outcome. Clear disclosure lets viewers evaluate the recommendation with the relationship visible; it does not require deciding that every favorable opinion is false.
2: EVIDENCE
These are NPW practice documents. Real-world sources are credited separately below.
SOURCE A — Creator transcript
NPW practice document. “This is my favorite backpack this year.” Disclosure appears only after “more” as “gifted.”
What it establishes: Shows an endorsement and a disclosure placement.
Question while reading: Would a viewer see the relationship before deciding how much weight to give the recommendation?
SOURCE B — Brand email
NPW practice document. “We’ll send the backpack free. No payment. Posting is optional.”
What it establishes: Establishes a free product, which can be a material connection even without cash.
Question while reading: Does “posting optional” erase the relationship?
SOURCE C — FTC guidance summary
Official-source summary, FTC Endorsement Guides/Disclosures 101. Material connections can include free products; disclosures should be clear and hard to miss.
What it establishes: Establishes the federal advertising principle; it does not determine a specific enforcement outcome.
Question while reading: Where would a clear disclosure go in this post?
Source A shows the endorsement and the hidden placement of “gifted.” Source B explains the relationship behind it, including both the free product and the absence of payment or a posting requirement. Read together, they support a more informative first-screen statement without inventing a sponsorship fee or guaranteed opinion.
Source C supplies the advertising principle used in this practice case: free products can be material connections, and disclosure should be hard to miss. It does not decide whether a regulator would act on this specific post. The appropriate revision addresses visibility and clarity, while leaving product quality and any enforcement judgment outside the claim.
3: PRACTICE
B supports the free product, no payment, and optional posting. The other answers erase or invent important parts of the relationship.
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4: TASK
Rewrite the first screen so the relationship is clear. Include one clear claim or question, at least two source references, one statement of uncertainty/scope, the person or office with relevant authority, and one realistic next step.
First screen: “The company sent me this backpack for free. I was not paid, and posting was optional. Here is my opinion of it.” This makes the relationship in the brand email visible before the recommendation (Source B). The current post hides “gifted” after “more” (Source A), while the FTC summary says material connections can include free products and disclosures should be clear and hard to miss (Source C). The creator controls the post and should check the disclosure's visibility in its actual format. FTC guidance supplies the principle; these receipts do not determine a particular enforcement outcome or whether the backpack is good.
How would you disclose a free restaurant meal in a short review when viewers may never open the caption?
The FTC explains how advertising can blend into unboxings, influencer posts and games. Useful as evidence behind a classroom examination of creator recommendations.
What changes when a product appears in an ordinary-looking post instead of in a clearly marked ad?
Students annotate three clearly fictional creator cards for product, sponsor, intended audience and evidence. Redesign one card so its advertising relationship is clear.
Make: An annotated ad card and a revised disclosure.
Public readable article; no video is claimed for this item.
45–55 min core, 80–100 min full
| Criterion | Beginning | Developing | Strong | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy & scope | Repeats claim. | Mostly accurate; scope incomplete. | Accurate and properly scoped. | Accurate, scoped, and explicit about uncertainty. |
| Evidence | Little or unrelated. | Relevant source, sometimes overstated. | Explains what sources establish. | Compares sources and limits. |
| Authority | Names actor without role. | Plausible authority. | Explains who decides and why. | Maps proposal, approval, implementation, review. |
| Communication | Vague or audience-mismatched. | Main point understandable. | Clear, specific, audience-aware. | Clear, accessible, precise, well-qualified. |
