BBB sets and upholds high standards for ethical marketplace behavior. BBB accreditation is a coveted honor earned by elite businesses and charities. BBB is a valuable resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities. Our free BBB Business Reviews and BBB Wise Giving Reports help you make the right purchasing or donation decision. BBB is also a significant distributor of consumer and business education information and tips and alerts about marketplace scams. And BBB offers dispute resolution programs for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints.

BBB came about due to the false advertisements that were prominent in the early 1900s. Said practices were the subject of various court cases, such as the United States vs. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola that were instituted by the government against several US companies. The growing advertising industry found itself at a crossroads with the government for engaging in practices that did not benefit consumers.

In 1911, the adoption of the “Ten Commandments of Advertising,” which was developed by advertising firms, individual business and the formation of Vigilance Committees for eliminating abuses. In 1912, the National Vigilance Committee was established to support regional/national advertising efforts. They later merged with a separate but similar entity known as the National Association of Better Business Bureaus in 1946, ultimately forming what is now known as the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., or IABBB.