Misleading Advertising

Misleading Advertising

Introduction

It has been seen on a number of occasions that weight loss products' ads have claims which are smaller in size than the rest of the message, claiming that the result are not typical. Their bearing on the advertising of the product is important in understanding what they actually say about the product being advertised. Misleading advertising pertains to the use of statements which may be misleading in the field of advertising. Another term commonly associated with deceptive advertising in the subject of advertising is false advertising. There have been various tabs, checks and controls in place on deceptive, misleading or false advertising on the government level in many countries since advertising has the potential to encourage and entice people to buy goods which they would otherwise be unwilling or reluctant to buy. The fact of the matter is that the customers should have prior knowledge of what they are purchasing, and the essential information should be mentioned on the label or the packaging of the product which the customer wishes to buy. In its most manifest and obvious forms, deceptive advertising is unlawful in various countries.

Nevertheless, customers continue to be deceived and hoodwinked by advertisers through means which may be lawful or unlawful yet inapplicable. Therefore, any misrepresentation or any information which is contrary to the functions or contents of the product is said to constitute misleading or deceptive advertising. This form of advertising is more common and manifest in places with few or very little consumer rights. With very few rights, consumers are unable to do anything, since they are not provided the cushion to protect them and to safeguard their rights on a government level. However, the practice of misleading advertisements is common in various countries including the United States, so much so that advertisers have developed shrewd methods and techniques to take advantage of loopholes in the system.

This paper is aimed at analyzing misleading or false advertising by taking into consideration some examples through the course of this paper which will be able to explain this phenomenon in a better and comprehensive way.

Thesis Statement

This paper will look to analyze misleading or deceptive advertising which may be lawful or unlawful, by considering some relevant examples, such as the claims made by advertisers in weight loss products.

Discussion

The attributes and functions of a product may be misrepresented by a company in order to attract more customers. Hence, the slated utility of the product is also misrepresented as a result (Nagler, 1993). However, the consumers rights' are safeguarded through the Federal Trade Commission Act which bars practices or acts deemed to be deceptive or unfair. Misrepresentation of solid facts and inability to reveal critical information about the product which are important for the consumers to know, constitute deceptive or unfair practices or acts, in accordance with the federal act (Correia, 2004).

Methods based on pricing

Hidden surcharges and fees

In many cases, it has been noted that service providers do not disclose the surcharges and fees ...