Mary Engle, associate director of advertising practices at the FTC, declined to comment on PayPerPost or its rivals, other than to emphasize that sponsorships must be "clearly and conspicuously" disclosed.
"It's important for the consumer to understand who is behind the message they're hearing," she said.
Marketing executive Tracy Helms, whose Dallas firm, Unleaded, hired 200 bloggers including Caldwell on behalf of the producers of "The Ultimate Gift," acknowledged having reservations before tapping the PayPerPost army.
"You can't help but have the tinge of, 'Is this the right thing?' " Helms said.
But he said bloggers were genuinely inspired by the theme of the film and the philanthropic effort that already has raised more than $5 million for nonprofit groups.
Bloggers say they guard their integrity by sticking to advertisers they can honestly support. Caldwell steered clear of an offer from a drug rehab clinic that invited bloggers to "write a fictional positive story of success with our treatment center ... it's very important that it be believable."
Then there was the law firm looking to find clients who had used a certain birth control patch. The firm told bloggers to "get creative, have fun with your post and help spread the word" -- the word being that the patch was killing and injuring young women.
"I realize they're lawyers," Caldwell said, "but come on, that's just tacky."
josh.friedman@latimes.com
