Wednesday, 21 July 2010 00:00

About Ruth Ann

Ruth Ann Kearley was nominated and selected based on her contributions to her company, to the credit union industry, to the local advertising community, and to Fort Worth.

• Former Miss Teen Fort Worth
• Paschal High School and TCU alum
• Started one of the first marketing departments for a credit union in the state of Texas in the early 1970’s while at EECU.
• Nationally known and recognized leader in the Credit Union industry.
• Founded Kearley & Company, Inc. – a full service advertising and public relations firm founded in 1981
• Recipient numerous ADDY® Awards as well as numerous Credit Union Industry awards
• Former President of the Northside Chamber of Commerce
• Former President of the Board for the Lighthouse for the Blind
• Former Board member for Jubilee Theatre
• Active member of AAF-Fort Worth since mid-1980’s
• Active member of the Fort Worth Chamber since 1980’s
• 2007 Fort Worth Business Press Great Woman of Texas honoree.
• Current member - Executive Board for the Lighthouse for the Blind

Monday, 15 March 2010 16:01

AAF-FORT WORTH REACHES OUT TO HELP THE HUNGRY 

For second year in a row, local ad club volunteers at Tarrant Area Food Bank 

FORT WORTH, Texas – March 8, 2010 – More than two dozen members and friends of the American Advertising Federation-Fort Worth volunteered Saturday morning at the Tarrant Area Food Bank, where they packed non-perishable foods for distribution.

According to the food bank, one in eight Tarrant-area residents received emergency food assistance from the service organization in the past three months.

“More people than ever need a little help these days, and the Tarrant Area Food Bank is an incredible organization serving our community as well as 12 neighboring counties,” said Jason Parker, president of AAF-Fort Worth. “The level of service it provides given its day-to-day challenges is amazing, and our members find it gratifying to volunteer their time to assist the organization in its fight against hunger.”

AAF, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009, has a long history of civic contribution, supplying creative and advertising talent to a host of local organizations over the years, including an annual benefit concert to support Limbs for Life.

If you are interested in requesting volunteers from AAF-Fort Worth or joining one of our volunteer projects, please fill out our volunteer form.  

To learn more about the Tarrant Area Food Bank, visit www.tafb.org.

Friday, 12 March 2010 11:26

TCU Horned Frogs Bring National Spotlight to Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 4, 2010) – The American Advertising Federation – Fort Worth (AAF-Fort Worth) will recognize the Texas Christian University football program with the 2009 Dateline Award for the team’s success in bringing the national spotlight to Fort Worth.

Sponsored by TCU ISP Sports Network, the Dateline award presentation and luncheon will be on Thursday, March 25, at Joe T. Garcia’s from 11:45 am to 1 pm. To attend, view the event summary at www.adclubfw.org by Wednesday, March 24.

“The impressive performance by the TCU Horned Frog football team this season has given Fort Worth national exposure and showed the nation the pride that Fort Worth has for our city,” said Jason Parker, president of AAF-Fort Worth.

As the Frogs began their regular season, which ended in an undefeated 12-0 season, the nation began to take notice of the underdogs in purple. Following TCU’s climb to number four in the BCS rankings, ESPN College Gameday headed to Fort Worth for the first time on November 14, to cover the Horned Frogs battle against the Utah Utes. The city of Fort Worth received national exposure and Lee Corso donned the famous SuperFrog head in support of a Frog victory, for the second time that season.

The Utah victory sealed the Frog’s number four BCS ranking and following Air Force and New Mexico losses, the Mountain West Conference Championship. All the while the city of Fort Worth and the nation rallied behind the Frog’s quest for a BCS bowl game, which culminated in an invitation to the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ to compete in their first BCS bowl game.

“There is a real ‘town and gown' relationship that you feel here,” said Chris Del Conte, TCU’s athletic director. “We try to paint the town purple. The mayor of Fort Worth declared Fridays to be ‘Purple Day,' and every city employee wears purple. Those are the sort of things that happen when you're the only team in town.”

Previous Dateline Award recipients include celebrity the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Chef Tim Love, the North Texas Speedway, the Van Cliburn Competition and Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.

Friday, 05 March 2010 00:00

FDA Cracks Down of Food Labels 

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration issued Warning Letters to 17 different food manufacturers for violations of labeling requirements in the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The letters were sent in regard to slight violations posing no immediate consumer safety risks.  The violations primarily dealt with misleading dietary descriptions. This is the first time in years the FDA has enforced widespread violations of these types of regulations.  FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D. has made it clear that nutrition labeling is a top priority for the FDA under her leadership. Thus, food companies must promptly make compliance assessments of their products to ensure they will not fall victim to the next round of citations. The recipients of Warning Letters have 15 days to respond to the FDA with their plans for corrective action. Many of the citations are for claims that a product is "healthy" or nutritious where the FDA alleges they do not meet the legal requirements for such claims.  Other citations allege mislabeling of total fat or juice content in food products; and claiming a product is safe for young children when it has only been tested for adults. 

Friday, 26 February 2010 13:45

FTC Aims to Expand Authority

Microsoft and Yahoo Partnership Approved 

Utah Targets Deceptive Advertising

Friday, 20 November 2009 00:00

Legislation Targets Food Advertising

President Obama Nominates FTC Commissioners 

Social Networking Sites and Promotions: An Evolving Landscape

Friday, 06 November 2009 00:00

The U.S. Congress is considering changes to the jurisdictional mandate of the Federal Trade Commission, including in its ability to regulate advertising. These changes would transform a regulatory structure that has been in place 1970's, and has received very little scrutiny through the process of congressional hearings and debate.

H.R. 3126, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act, will create a new agency with jurisdiction over many financial services. The jurisdiction will extend to the advertising of products that currently reside with the FTC. While the FTC will seemingly lose some authority, its powers will be greatly expanded over those areas where jurisdiction remains. The legislation will remove many of the protections previously enacted by Congress to protect industry from the Federal Trade Commission over-stepping its boundaries. The bill is waiting to be considered by the full House of Representatives. Similar changes have been proposed and are likely to be considered in the Senate.

Over 30 years ago, the Congress enacted procedural safeguards for rulemaking and enforcement procedures undertaken by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC safeguards requirements include:

• Giving the Justice Department 45 days notice before proceeding with an enforcement action or forego the imposition of fines for injunctive remedies.
• Finding if a type of consumer deception is prevalent and not just limited to one instance before proceeding with a rulemaking to address the deceptive activity.
• Requiring that a rule be supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole and not just reviewable by a court on a determination that the agency was arbitrary or capricious.
• Requiring that the FTC must permit cross-examination of witnesses with any disputed issue regarding a material fact in a rulemaking
• Requiring that a statement as to the economic impact of a proposed rule be included in the record.
• The FTC may consider established public policies as evidence when deciding what act or practice may be unfair to consumers, but the policy consideration cannot be the primary basis for the finding of unfairness.

Collectively, these requirements are known as Magnusson-Moss rulemaking procedures after the then chairmen of the House and Senate Commerce Committees, Senator Warren Magnusson, D-Wash. and Representative John Moss, D-Calif. Magnusson and Moss were considered strong proponents of consumer protection.

Proponents of the changes argue that the FTC should be able to undertake rulemakings under more streamlined procedures enjoyed by most other federal agencies. However, other agencies have a narrow jurisdictional mandate (for example, financial markets for the Securities and Exchange Commission, food and pharmaceuticals for the Food and Drug Administration) and therefore an inherent expertise in the subject matter.

The American Advertising Federation to warn lawmakers as to the implications of changing a regulatory structure that has worked for many years on behalf of both consumers and businesses.

AAF Government Report is available to all members of the AAF. If you are interested in receiving an e-mailed copy, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you are interested in receiving AAF SmartBrief, an opt-in news service, please visit www.smartbrief.com/aaf. AAF SmartBrief condenses advertising industry news from dozens of media sources into a succinct, easy to read e-mail. Go to the Government Affairs Main Page.

Friday, 30 October 2009 00:00

FCC to Scrutinize Children's Television and Advertising

The Federal Communications Commission has released a Notice of Inquiry, "Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Landscape.” Many of the issues raised in the NOI seem to suggest that there may be a bias against advertising. The following issues in the NOI are among those cited:

• One significant concern with children's exposure to media is the harms that may arise from advertising specifically directed to children and used to influence children's consumption of products.
• Exposure to excessive and exploitative advertisements is a significant risk children face from electronic media. Advertisements of particular concern to children include: (i) those that promote products specifically to children; (ii) those that promote unhealthy food, thereby contributing to childhood obesity, and (iii) those that contain inappropriate content, such as offensive language, sexual content, and violence.
• We invite information about the effectiveness of these (CTA) rules in limiting commercial material viewed by children on television and how they might be improved.
• The CTA's limits apply only to broadcast, cable, and satellite television. To what extent are children exposed to excessive and exploitative advertisements on media other than television? What actions, if any, should government take to create incentives to limit the exposure of children to advertisements?

The NOI is expected to be published in the Federal Register around the end of the year. Initial comments will be due sixty days thereafter.

House Committee Approves CFPA

On October 29, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 3126, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act. The bill has already passed the House Financial Services Committee and will next be considered by the full House of Representatives. As written, the legislation will have significant implications for the advertising industry.

The bill will transfer much of the regulatory authority for financial products and services from the Federal Trade Commission to the new CFPA. However, the FTC would retain some authority in financial products and services matters. The bill would greatly expand the regulatory authority of both agencies. For example:

• The bill will grant the new CFPA rulemaking authority under the "unfairness" standard.  This goes beyond the current authority of the FTC which is limited by Congress.
• The FTC will be given expedited rulemaking authority, doing away with many of the safeguards currently in place.
• The Commission will be granted expanded "aiding and abetting" authority that has the ability to implicate both advertising agencies and the media.

In addition, H.R. 3126 will give the states authority to enforce regulations adopted by the CFPA and enact laws of their own. Financial advertisers may be subject to regulation by the CFPA, the FTC and numerous states under different and potentially contradictory standards.

Republicans offered a number of amendments to eliminate many of these provisions, but all failed. The bill was approved on a largely party line vote.

Congressman Targets Food Advertising

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, has sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to other members of Congress announcing his intention to introduce legislation to “eliminate the tax deductibility of fast food and junk food advertising directed at children.” The Congressman is inviting other members to join him as a cosponsor.

AAF Government Report is available to all members of the AAF. If you are interested in receiving an e-mailed copy, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you are interested in receiving AAF SmartBrief, an opt-in news service, please visit www.smartbrief.com/aaf. AAF SmartBrief condenses advertising industry news from dozens of media sources into a succinct, easy to read e-mail. Go to the Government Affairs Main Page.

Friday, 30 October 2009 00:00

From: Clark Rector, Executive Vice President-Government Affairs 

Food Advertising Deductibility Threat 

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, has sent a “Dear Colleague” to other members of Congress soliciting cosponsors for legislation he plans to introduce to “eliminate the tax deductibility of fast food and junk food advertising directed at children.”  As you know, deductibility for DTC advertising has been under fire this year in the health care debate. The Kucinich proposal reinforces our contention that pharmaceuticals were only the first step and all advertising is at risk. Be assured that the AAF will do everything in our power to insure that advertising for all products remains fully deductible as a normal and necessary business expense.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any comments or questions.    

Don't Subsidize Childhood Obesity
From: The Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich
Date: 10/28/2009 

 Dear Colleague:
Research clearly shows that childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in this country. As we develop programs to combat childhood obesity, we must also examine the root causes of this problem. The effect of advertising on youth, especially advertising of fast food and junk food, has long been a concern of mine. The Institute of Medicine estimates that in 2004 approximately $10 billion was spent on food advertising directed at children, using every method available--television, radio, the internet, even embedded in video games. Simply put, marketing to children works--companies would not make such a substantial investment if it were ineffective.1 Marketing directed at youth is extremely well constructed and relies heavily on behavioral science. The developing brain of the child cannot discriminate fact from opinion; cannot think critically; and cannot yet fully understand abstract thinking. This makes no difference to food advertisers, who exploit this using cartoons, cross branding with popular toys, giveaways, and myriad other methods to develop brand loyalty and shape judgment as early as possible, knowing that those affinities are the most enduring. Astonishingly, the federal government subsidizes this methodical preying on children by granting a tax write-off for expenses associated with it. This must stop. The government must take action to protect American children and ensure that they grow up in a healthy environment. For this reason will be introducing legislation that would eliminate the tax deductibility of fast food and junk food advertising directed at children. I invite you to join me as a cosponsor of this legislation. There is precedent: approximately 50 countries, including Sweden, Norway, Australia, and Great Britain, have limited or prohibited food advertising directed at youth. Additionally, recent research has concluded that eliminating the tax deductibility of food advertising directed at youth would reduce obesity among youth.2 For more information or to cosponsor, please contact Tom Mulloy in my office at 5-5871 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

Sincerely,/s/Dennis J.
Kucinich Member of Congress  

1Institute of Medicine (2006).

Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? National Academies Press.
2Chou, S., Rashad, I. & Grossman, M. (2008). "Fast Food Restaurant
Advertising on Television and Its Influence on Childhood Obesity."
Journal of Law and Economics, 51(4), 599-618.

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 00:00

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to start markup on H.R. 3126, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act on Thursday.  The bill has passed the House Financial Services Committee.  If the legislation is enacted as is, it will have significant implications for the advertising industry.

The bill as written would transfer much of the regulatory authority for financial products and services from the Federal Trade Commission to the new CFPA.  However, the FTC would retain some authority in financial products and services matters.  The bill would greatly expand the regulatory authority of both agencies.  For example:

• The bill will grant the new CFPA rulemaking authority under the "unfairness" standard.  This goes beyond the current authority of the FTC which is limited by Congress.

• The FTC will be given expedited rulemaking authority, doing away with many of the safeguards currently in place.

• The Commission will be granted expanded "aiding and abetting" authority that has the ability to implicate both advertising agencies and the media.

In addition, H.R. 3126 gives the states authority to enforce regulations adopted by the CFPA as well as enact their own laws.  Financial advertisers may be subject to regulation by the CFPA, the FTC and numerous states under different and potentially contradictory standards.

It is important that the advertising industry contact members of the Energy and Commerce Committee and ask them to consider the implications of the bill that is before them, and consider language that would provide appropriate safeguards for both consumers and the industry.

Committee members can be reached through the Energy and Commerce website at http://energycommerce.house.gov/.  Please do not hesitate to contact Clark Rector, Executive Vice President-Government Affairs if you have any comments or questions.