Key Changes in Commercial Advertisement Regulation

The Regulation Amending the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices, published in the Official Gazette dated 1 July 2026 and numbered 33297, introduces comprehensive changes to advertising practices. The amendments focus particularly on digital marketing, the use of artificial intelligence in advertising, social media influencer advertisements, environmental claims, and discounted sales practices.

Use of artificial intelligence in advertisements

The increasing prevalence of the use of artificial intelligence in all areas of life has also been reflected in advertising legislation.

As per amendments to the Regulation, where advertisements involve the use of artificial intelligence or other software in a manner that is likely to materially affect consumers’ economic behavior, or include digital characters created using artificial intelligence that are indistinguishable from humans, this must now be clearly, intelligibly, and distinguishably disclosed.

Advertisements in which a digitally replicated version of a real person, created using artificial intelligence, gives the false impression that the person has personally experienced or used a good or service, or makes a recommendation, may not be made.

Advertisements Made Through Social Media Influencers

Before the amendment, the Ministry of Trade had been monitoring advertisements made through social media influencers under a guideline issued by the Ministry itself.

Under the amendments, a new article has been added to the Regulation, introducing specific rules for advertisements made through social media influencers; it has become mandatory to include the wording “Advertisement” or “Promotion,” together with a specific disclosure relating to the advertiser.

Advertising labels used in social media posts must be easily noticeable in terms of color, background, placement, and visibility; where content is spread across multiple posts, such labels must appear in each post.

For audio-only posts, it is mandatory to include, at the beginning of the broadcast and immediately before the advertisement to be aired, the statement: “Contains advertising/promotion regarding [advertiser].”

Discounted sale advertisements

In discounted sale advertisements, when determining the pre-discount price, the lowest price applied within the 30 days preceding the discount had previously been taken as the basis. With the amendment, this period has now been reduced to 10 days.

In addition, discounted sale advertisements relating to the sale of services have been brought within the same regime as advertisements concerning perishable goods such as fruits and vegetables. Accordingly, in such advertisements, the basis will no longer be the lowest price applied within the 30 days preceding the discount, but rather the price applied immediately before the discount.

Where a good or service is offered for sale through different sales channels, the pre-discount price will be determined by taking into account only the price in the channel where the discount is applied, and will not serve as the basis for discounted sales to be made in other channels.

Advertisements relating to customer loyalty programs and conditional sale advertisements have also been made subject, under certain conditions, to the rules applicable to discounted sale advertisements.

Advertisements containing environmental claims

Under the amendment, statements or visual elements indicating that a good or service provides an environmental benefit, or that its negative impact on the environment has been reduced or eliminated, are defined as “environmental claims.”

Even before the amendment, there had been a rule providing that advertisements may not exploit consumers’ environmental sensitivity or lack of knowledge. With the amendment, it has become mandatory that the certificates and approvals referred to in environmental claims be substantiated by documents obtained from competent institutions and organizations, relevant departments of universities, or accredited or independent research, testing, and assessment bodies.

More explicit prohibitions have been introduced against the misuse of such claims through rules requiring, among other things, that general concepts and expressions constituting environmental claims must not create ambiguity for consumers, and that it must be clearly stated which part of the product or service the claim relates to.

Advertisements relating to food supplements

Before the amendment, there was a provision stating that “comparative advertising of food supplements could not be made under any circumstances”. With the amendment, as is the case with food advertisements, it has now been provided that matters falling within the scope of health claims may not be made the subject of comparison for food supplements either.

In addition, food supplements may not be advertised in a manner that creates the impression that they replace foods as part of a normal diet.

Targeted advertising

Under the new provisions introduced by the amendment, activities involving the presentation of advertising content specifically to certain persons or groups by analyzing consumers’ online behavior, records of their past preferences, location data, demographic data, or similar personal data are defined as “targeted advertising.”

Targeted advertising may be carried out on the condition that direct and easily accessible information is provided to the consumer regarding the criteria used to display the advertisement to the relevant consumer and how those criteria may be changed.

Where it is known and/or ought to be known that the consumer is a child, targeted advertising may not be carried out through profiling methods based on personal data.

Express Prohibition

It has been expressly provided that medicinal products for human use, electronic cigarettes, tobacco products, and alcoholic beverages may not be advertised.

Moreover, in advertisements directed at consumers, information regarding rewards granted in exchange for a benefit and not based on previously announced objective criteria may not be included.

Rules on Consumer Reviews

Under the amendments, it has been provided that consumer reviews obtained from platforms where it is not possible to verify the purchase process may not be published. In addition, certain rules have been introduced regarding the restriction of reviews. The period granted to the seller before publication of the review has been reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours.