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The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus ruled yesterday that advertisers posting their ads to YouTube, and other online video sites, must follow the same guidelines used in TV ads.

The ruling comes after claims were made that online ad campaigns by vacuum cleaner manufacturer, Dyson, were deceptive and lacked clarity in their comparison with other vacuum cleaners.

"This case establishes a precedent," Andrea Levine, the director of NAD, said in a statement e-mailed to MediaPost. "When an advertiser places a video on a site like YouTube and uses it, either to make claims about its own product or to compare its product to a competitor's product, those claims are advertising claims and, by law, require substantiation."Dyson has since pulled the ads, and rumors are that Coke will have to add disclaimers that warn dropping mentos into a 2-liter bottle, could result in an explosion and that professional "droppers" were used on a closed course.

Hat-tip Mashable.

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Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant and considered one of the world's most respected and interactive search engine marketing experts. Andy has worked with many Fortune 1000 companies such as Motorola, CitiFinancial, Lowes, Alaska Air, DeWALT, NBC and Experian.

You can read his internet marketing blog at Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at andy.beal@gmail.com.