Reference no: EM131866084 , Length: 4

Essay: False Advertising

False Advertising: According to the Federal Trade Commission Act, Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive; advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims. Ads are deceptive if they contain (or omit) information which is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably. The FTC reviews ads from the vantage point of a "reasonable consumer." They look at not only individual words, but whole phrases, images, and the entire context of the ad. If an explicit or an implied claim in an ad is misleading, the ad is considered false. (Puffery is allowed: Smoothest shave, greatest drink, happiest place on earth, funniest movie: these are considered to be exaggerations, opinions, or superlatives that are obviously exaggerations, opinions, or superlatives to a reasonable consumer. They are not seen to be misrepresentations since everyone knows "this is the best cereal ever" is not supposed to be a fact.)

Write an essay, type-written, 3-4-pages in length.

(I) Choose 2 of the 3 advertisements: CoolSculpting, LifeLock, and Super Beta Prostate (attached). Find two specific claims - quote each - and prove they are false or misleading to a reasonable consumer. No outside research or internet should be used. You are analyzing the ad for each of its claims, from the perspective of a reasonable consumer. The deceptions are there. You just need to find and expose them, using your critical thinking skills, your ability to analyze English, and the common knowledge a "reasonable consumer" possesses.

(II) Choose 2 of the next 3 passages: Swiffer, Loreal, and True Crime TV. Then discuss critically each: What would it take to make that ad true and not misleading? What would it take to make that ad or show false and deceiving to a reasonable consumer? Explain. Interject hypotheticals: If this were going on behind the scenes, or, if this went into the composition of the ad, then..., etc.

Attachment:- Assignment File.rar