They say there is no truth in advertising. Alternate facts, maybe, but not truth Not so. Great brands are built by business owners (and their agencies) who know how to tell good stories. And good story telling always involves elements of truth, plus a little “creative license.”
With so many online channels, word of mouth is easy to spread and a brand’s reputation is hard to rebuild once tarnished. If you are unsure at any point if ads you want to run are potentially in violation of the Truth in Advertising Laws, a quick consultation with a legal professional will clear it up.
Many people believe “truth in advertising” is an oxymoron. In marketing, advertising and selling, there’s a big, gaping grey area when it comes to the claims you make and the image you portray. Of course burgers always look bigger and juicier in ads than they do in real life.
We’ve all seen the ads where they list off potentially dangerous side effects or warnings at the end. If an activity or product can harm a consumer, then this needs to be explicitly stated by the advertisers.
There is a whole suite of laws that are set forth by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that regulate what advertisers are allowed to say. Collectively, these are known as the Truth in Advertising Laws. While these are the federal laws that apply across the U.S., there are also state and local regulations that may apply in your region in addition ...
Summary. When running ads, you need to be careful about any claims you’re making--it’s best to be fully transparent and err on the side of caution. Being truthful and honest in your advertising isn’t just to protect yourself legally, but also to build a relationship with your customers.
They are able to get ads pulled off the air by contacting the broadcasters and publishers directly, such as media companies, TV networks, tech companies, and more. They can also issue fines to the offending company or institution.
In order to protect consumers, the government has stepped in to reign in advertisers who historically had been known to use all sorts of deceptive tactics to sell more products .
Ensure Truthfulness and Non-Deception. Essentially, these laws prohibit lying in advertisements. For example, if you say that a product costs a certain amount during a specified period of time, your store has to have this particular item for sale at that price. Truth in Advertising Laws also prohibit misleading or deceptive ads.
Ads also cannot be deceptive in any way. For example, you can’t show an image of a product that isn’t the actual product or claim you’re selling something new when it is in fact refurbished. If an ad is created to mislead or confuse the public, it is considered deceptive and is against the law.
Keep in mind, the FTC is not a censor and does not clear ads before they air.
It’s actually illegal to blatantly mislead consumers. And if you live in a small town, like I do, disparaging a competitor will almost always come back to bite you in the karmic ass. In marketing, advertising and selling, there’s a big, gaping grey area when it comes to the claims you make and the image you portray.
They say there is no truth in advertising. Alternate facts, maybe, but not truth. Not so. Great brands are built by business owners (and their agencies) who know how to tell good stories. And good story telling always involves elements of truth, plus a little “creative license.”.
Your brand stories don’t have to be literally true, but they must ring true to a particular group of people. Even the most well-documented non-fiction stories are not 100% true. Ken Burns, the famous documentary filmmaker once said, “all story is manipulation. Truth is a by-product of our stories.
Of course burgers always look bigger and juicier in ads than they do in real life. All women are rail-thin and perfectly endowed in fashion advertising. And it’s always clear skies and mai-tais in the travel brochures for Kaui. (No one really expects them to show the island in a downpour.)