False Advertising
Have you ever heard the saying, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?" Determining what is accurate and what is false can be difficult. The Federal Trade Commission requires that all advertisements in the United States must be truthful and non-deceptive, and are required to have evidence to back up claims. (FTC, 2021). It is important to understand the importance of truth in advertising and how to stop the spread of misinformation.
- Truth in AdvertisingWhen the Federal Trade Commission finds a case of fraud perpetrated on consumers, the agency files actions in federal district court for immediate and permanent orders to stop scams; prevent fraudsters from perpetrating scams in the future; freeze their assets; and get compensation for victims.When consumers see or hear an advertisement, whether it’s on the Internet, radio or television, or anywhere else, federal law says that ad must be truthful, not misleading,
Internet Resources
- Advertising and Marketing on the Internet: Rules of the RoadAdvertising on the Internet? The rules that apply to other forms of advertising apply to online marketing, too. These standards protect businesses and consumers – and help maintain the credibility of the Internet as an advertising medium.
- Truth in AdvertisingHow consumers win when companies exaggerate how good their products are.
Research
- False Advertising: Credo ReferenceA Credo Reference landing page on false advertising. This page includes links to reference materials, journal articles, and a mind map.
- An Antitrust Framework for False AdvertisingFederal law presumes that false advertising harms competition. Federal law also presumes that false advertising is harmless or even helpful to competition. Contradiction is not unknown to the law, of course.
The Men Who Made Us Spend
Why do we buy what we buy? Who created our world of rampant consumerism and how did they do it? Investigative journalist Jacques Peretti examines the trends and techniques, revealing that the answer doesn’t lie with the people usually associated with selling—the advertisers and marketeers—but with the men behind three key driving forces that changed first the product, and then us. The series shows how the long-standing dream of manufacturers to create limitless consumption became a reality once customers bought into the idea of the upgrade. It also explores how they targeted the previously untapped children’s market, and discovered they could apply what was learnt about selling to children to increase sales to adults. But the biggest cash cow came from fear—by exploiting consumer anxiety, they opened up a world of demand for products that offered health or safety benefits. A BBC Production. (50 minutes each)
Source: Films on Demand
America at Risk: A History of Consumer Protest
-
America at Risk, hosted by journalist Ed Newman, investigates the history and influence of this country's consumer movement. The program is illustrated with archival photographs and footage as well as interviews with key people in the movement.
Source: Films on Demand
Spotting Fake Advertisments
- Fake Ads; Real Problems: How Easy is it to Post Scam Adverts on Facebook and Google?We were able to promote fake health advice and a brand that didn’t exist to highly targeted audiences online.
- How to Spot Fake Political Ads and Posts on Social MediaBe wary of misinformation — and disinformation — during election 2020.
Perspectives
Trust Us, We're Experts!
The authors unmask the widespread methods industry uses to influence opinion through bogus experts, doctored data, and manufactured facts.
Deceptive Advertising
This is the first book designed to assist behavioral scientists in the preparation of scholarly or applied research regarding deceptive advertising which will ultimately affect public policy in this area. Because there was an inadequate foundation upon which to build a program of research for this topic, a three-part solution has been devised: 1) a review of how deception is viewed and regulated 2) a theory of how consumers process deceptive information 3) a sensitive and consistent means of measuring deceptiveness. This text provides detailed discussions regarding the intersection of law and behavioral science and its application to deceptive advertising. In so doing, it offers a solid foundation upon which to base expanded behavioral research into how consumers are deceived by advertising claims, and what cognitive processes are involved in that deception.
Deception in the Marketplace
This is the first scholarly book to fully address the topics of the psychology of deceptive persuasion in the marketplace and consumer self-protection. Deception permeates the American marketplace. Deceptive marketing harms consumers' health, welfare and financial resources, reduces people's privacy and self-esteem, and ultimately undermines trust in society. Individual consumers must try to protect themselves from marketers' misleading communications by acquiring personal marketplace deception-protection skills that go beyond reliance on legal or regulatory protections. Understanding the psychology of deceptive persuasion and consumer self-protection should be a central goal for future consumer behavior research. The authors explore these questions. What makes persuasive communications misleading and deceptive? How do marketing managers decide to prevent or practice deception in planning their campaigns? What skills must consumers acquire to effectively cope with marketers' deception tactics? What does research tell us about how people detect, neutralize and resist misleading persuasion attempts? What does research suggest about how to teach marketplace deception protection skills to adolescents and adults? Chapters cover theoretical perspectives on deceptive persuasion; different types of deception tactics; how deception-minded marketers think; prior research on how people cope with deceptiveness; the nature of marketplace deception protection skills; how people develop deception protection skills in adolescence and adulthood; prior research on teaching consumers marketplace deception protection skills; and societal issues such as regulatory frontiers, societal trust, and consumer education practices. This unique book is intended for scholars and researchers. It should be essential reading for upper level and graduate courses in consumer behavior, social psychology, communication, and marketing. Marketing practitioners and marketplace regulators will find it stimulating and authoritative, as will social scientists and educators who are concerned with consumer welfare.
Online Advertising
You're being watched. That sounded more sinister than I intended, but online, it's true. Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, Netflix... the list goes on and on. They're watching what you do, what you shop for, what you watch... all of it. And have you actually read the Terms of Service? In this episode of Crash Course Media Literacy, Jay talks about how Online Advertising works and why companies want to know everything you're looking at.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmRcoJZRXEY