Adweek reports that the FTC is looking into stiffening restrictions on how companies use testimonials in the advertising.

No one argues that testimonials and endorsements are an extremely effective marketing strategy. What has caught the interest of the Federal Trade Commission is the way digital technology has changed the way companies can market their goods and services to consumers. That’s why it is considering getting more restrictive in its guidelines on the use of testimonials and endorsements in advertising.

The FTC attached two studies with its formal request for comments on the matter in January 2007, which concluded that testimonials could communicate a product’s efficacy despite disclaimers in the ads saying such results are typical for only half the consumers who use the product.