1 minute readReference note
What happens when a brand can no longer substantiate a public claim?
In brief
Reassess the public claim at its original scope against the available evidence. Correct, qualify, replace, or remove it according to what that evidence supports.
Establish why support failed. Check the date of each statistic, changes to the product, an award's expiry, and the evidence available for the original wording. Distinguish a current update from a historical misstatement, and acknowledge the historical error where the original claim exceeded its evidence.
Trace the claim across website pages, presentations, profiles, advertising, and partner descriptions. Update each consequential use of the unsupported account. Maintain a distribution record so future changes reach the people and properties using it.
Check the population and outcome measured by a newer study before using it to replace the original evidence. Revise the explanation to match the new findings and their scope.