What substantiation is required to support marketing claims, and how should such evidence be documented?

• A. Sufficient, reliable evidence; document sources, dates, and relevance, and keep records for audits or disputes.
• B. Personal opinions from the marketing team.
• C. Only publicly available testimonials.
• D. Internal memos without sources.

Answer: (A)

Substantiation for marketing claims must be sufficient and reliable evidence, and it should be documented with clear records of sources, dates, and relevance to the claim. This means choosing evidence appropriate to what you’re asserting, ensuring it comes from credible, objective sources, and showing exactly how the evidence supports the claim. Keeping records is essential so you can demonstrate, during audits or disputes, where the claim came from and why it’s accurate. This helps prevent misleading advertising and builds trust with consumers and regulators.

Relying on personal opinions from the marketing team isn’t enough, because opinions aren’t verifiable evidence. Public testimonials can be helpful, but they don’t automatically provide comprehensive substantiation for all claims. Internal memos without sources lack verifiability and wouldn’t meet standards for external validation.