Essay I: 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 (no longer, 4 pages is the maximum length), with 12-point font, 1.5 spacing between lines, and standard margins in which you answer prompts (I) and (II) completely. (One page analyzing the wording second page saying what can be changed to make it ethical and accurate advertisement)
(I) Choose 2 of the 3 advertisements: CoolSculpting, LifeLock, and Super Beta Prostate (given below). 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.
CoolSculpting Advertisement:SAY GOODBYE TO MUFFIN TOPS AND LOVE HANDLES. CoolSulpting was developed by renowned Harvard University scientists, Dieter Manstein, MD and R. Rox Anderson, MD. CoolSculpting technology was born of the observation that some children got dimples
due to eating popsicles. The idea that cold can selectively affect fat cells was the insight behind Cryolipolysis, the proven science on which CoolSculpting is based. CoolSculpting is the coolest, most innovative, non-surgical way to lose those annoying bumps and bulges of stubborn fat. This revolutionary technology targets and cools unwanted fat cells in the selected area to induce a noticeable, natural-looking reduction in fat bulges. Unlike most other methods of fat reduction, CoolSculpting involves no needles, no surgery, or downtime. Patients often spend procedure time reading, working on their laptops, or simply relaxing. It’s safe, FDA-cleared and effective. Results look natural and can be seen as early as three weeks following treatment, with the most dramatic results after one to three months.
LifeLock Advertisement:Protecting Against Identity Theft: Not only do we monitor your personal information within our extensive network for new credit and non-credit applications and address changes, but also we search known criminal websites for illegal selling of your personal information. LifeLock Ultimate protection--the most comprehensive protection available--includes all standard LifeLock protection services to scan for identity threats, plus adds nationwide monitoring for payday loans and expanded surveillance for the opening of new checking and savings accounts. We review each attempt to misuse your identity, and proactively contact you anytime we detect an exposure or threat. LifeLock Ultimate protection goes one step further --if we detect a change to the contact information on your bank accounts, we’ll contact you to help correct the situation fast. If you become a victim of identity theft while you are a LifeLock member we will spend up to $1 million to hire experts, lawyers, investigators, consultants and whatever else it takes to help your recovery.
Super Beta Prostrate Advertisement:America’s #1 Prostate Supplement. Claim your free bottle! Supplies are very limited. The Life-Changing Formula. The product no man with frequent urination problems should be without. Features and Benefits: Fewer bathroom trips. Sleep More through the night. Support more complete bladder emptying.* Feel younger and more energetic. “Before Super Beta Prostate, I couldn’t sleep through the night. I heard a commercial on the radio for Super Beta Prostate and decided to order my free bottle. Now I am sleeping through the night. I am really happy.” --Ron. “It’s kind of embarrassing, if you’re riding in a car with some people, all of the sudden, you’ve got this urge to go to the bathroom. Like going to the ballgame or something, and to keep making these trips to the bathroom. There are no physical risks to taking Super Beta Prostate. Try it, you know. You will be amazed with the results from it.” –William. Super Beta Prostate has long been the most trusted supplement for men’s prostate health. Over 5 million bottles have shipped in the last 10 years, and it continues to be a national best-seller. From the tremendous feedback we’ve received, it’s clear why this natural supplement is so popular: men tell their friends about the life-changing benefits
they experience. Why Super Beta Prostate? Your prostate starts as just a little gland, but as you get older it can have a big impact on your quality of life! That might be why so many men over 40 experience changes in their bathroom habits: they need to go much more each day. A lot of men also notice they’re waking up at night once, twice or more to urinate. If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. Super Beta Prostate is a nonprescription, natural supplement made with powerful ingredients. It was made for men like you who want a safe and effective way to support their prostate health. “Now, I sleep through the night. I don’t have any sudden urges to go to the bathroom. It worked!” Super Beta Prostate is a natural dietary supplement, and it’s made with some of the best available ingredients for prostate care. Beta-sitosterol is found in nearly every plant, and it’s an inactive ingredient found in saw palmetto berries. Super Beta Prostate was specially formulated with a concentrated amount of beta-sitosterol.
(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.
Swiffer Sweeper MopsSwiffer TV ad: Ad shows the Swiffer in action on a dusty wood floor (real hardwood?); a middle aged man walks briskly through the large area with a Swiffer, easily being pushed along. It clears a path through the dust; angle cut, and the very next scene shows a spotless and glowing wood floor; man is smiling and the Swiffer is standing against the wall behind him. What would make the ad false? What would make the ad true? Discuss by adding behind the scenes details and facts (hypothetical).
Loreal Shampoo and ConditionerTV ad for Loreal shampoo and conditioner: J Lo is shown with beautiful, long, flowing, almost glowing brown-red hair (with highlights?). She then turn and looks at the camera and says your hair also deserves Loreal shampoo and conditioner. What would make the ad false? What would make the ad true? Discuss by adding behind the scenes details and facts (hypothetical).
True Crime TVID TV and other cable channels now feature several popular “true crime” shows. The format for all these shows is the same: a true crime from the past (usually 2 – 20 years old) is re-enacted with actors playing the roles of all of those involved; you also have short interviews with real-life family members of the victim, and the real-life police and detectives who worked the case will also be interviewed or narrate the drama as it unfolds for the viewer to enjoy. At the end of each show, you have seen how the crime unfolded, how innocent suspects were finally ruled out, and you learn the final prison verdict for the real culprit. What would make these “real crime” TV shows false or misleading? What would make these “true crime” TV shows true and not misleading? Discuss.
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 (no longer, 4 pages is the maximum length), with 12-point font, 1.5 spacing between lines, and standard margins in which you answer prompts (I) and (II) completely. (One page analyzing the wording second page saying what can be changed to make it ethical and accurate advertisement)
(I) Choose 2 of the 3 advertisements: CoolSculpting, LifeLock, and Super Beta Prostate (given below). 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.
CoolSculpting Advertisement:SAY GOODBYE TO MUFFIN TOPS AND LOVE HANDLES. CoolSulpting was developed by renowned Harvard University scientists, Dieter Manstein, MD and R. Rox Anderson, MD. CoolSculpting technology was born of the observation that some children got dimples
due to eating popsicles. The idea that cold can selectively affect fat cells was the insight behind Cryolipolysis, the proven science on which CoolSculpting is based. CoolSculpting is the coolest, most innovative, non-surgical way to lose those annoying bumps and bulges of stubborn fat. This revolutionary technology targets and cools unwanted fat cells in the selected area to induce a noticeable, natural-looking reduction in fat bulges. Unlike most other methods of fat reduction, CoolSculpting involves no needles, no surgery, or downtime. Patients often spend procedure time reading, working on their laptops, or simply relaxing. It’s safe, FDA-cleared and effective. Results look natural and can be seen as early as three weeks following treatment, with the most dramatic results after one to three months.
LifeLock Advertisement:Protecting Against Identity Theft: Not only do we monitor your personal information within our extensive network for new credit and non-credit applications and address changes, but also we search known criminal websites for illegal selling of your personal information. LifeLock Ultimate protection--the most comprehensive protection available--includes all standard LifeLock protection services to scan for identity threats, plus adds nationwide monitoring for payday loans and expanded surveillance for the opening of new checking and savings accounts. We review each attempt to misuse your identity, and proactively contact you anytime we detect an exposure or threat. LifeLock Ultimate protection goes one step further --if we detect a change to the contact information on your bank accounts, we’ll contact you to help correct the situation fast. If you become a victim of identity theft while you are a LifeLock member we will spend up to $1 million to hire experts, lawyers, investigators, consultants and whatever else it takes to help your recovery.
Super Beta Prostrate Advertisement:America’s #1 Prostate Supplement. Claim your free bottle! Supplies are very limited. The Life-Changing Formula. The product no man with frequent urination problems should be without. Features and Benefits: Fewer bathroom trips. Sleep More through the night. Support more complete bladder emptying.* Feel younger and more energetic. “Before Super Beta Prostate, I couldn’t sleep through the night. I heard a commercial on the radio for Super Beta Prostate and decided to order my free bottle. Now I am sleeping through the night. I am really happy.” --Ron. “It’s kind of embarrassing, if you’re riding in a car with some people, all of the sudden, you’ve got this urge to go to the bathroom. Like going to the ballgame or something, and to keep making these trips to the bathroom. There are no physical risks to taking Super Beta Prostate. Try it, you know. You will be amazed with the results from it.” –William. Super Beta Prostate has long been the most trusted supplement for men’s prostate health. Over 5 million bottles have shipped in the last 10 years, and it continues to be a national best-seller. From the tremendous feedback we’ve received, it’s clear why this natural supplement is so popular: men tell their friends about the life-changing benefits
they experience. Why Super Beta Prostate? Your prostate starts as just a little gland, but as you get older it can have a big impact on your quality of life! That might be why so many men over 40 experience changes in their bathroom habits: they need to go much more each day. A lot of men also notice they’re waking up at night once, twice or more to urinate. If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. Super Beta Prostate is a nonprescription, natural supplement made with powerful ingredients. It was made for men like you who want a safe and effective way to support their prostate health. “Now, I sleep through the night. I don’t have any sudden urges to go to the bathroom. It worked!” Super Beta Prostate is a natural dietary supplement, and it’s made with some of the best available ingredients for prostate care. Beta-sitosterol is found in nearly every plant, and it’s an inactive ingredient found in saw palmetto berries. Super Beta Prostate was specially formulated with a concentrated amount of beta-sitosterol.
(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.
Swiffer Sweeper MopsSwiffer TV ad: Ad shows the Swiffer in action on a dusty wood floor (real hardwood?); a middle aged man walks briskly through the large area with a Swiffer, easily being pushed along. It clears a path through the dust; angle cut, and the very next scene shows a spotless and glowing wood floor; man is smiling and the Swiffer is standing against the wall behind him. What would make the ad false? What would make the ad true? Discuss by adding behind the scenes details and facts (hypothetical).
Loreal Shampoo and ConditionerTV ad for Loreal shampoo and conditioner: J Lo is shown with beautiful, long, flowing, almost glowing brown-red hair (with highlights?). She then turn and looks at the camera and says your hair also deserves Loreal shampoo and conditioner. What would make the ad false? What would make the ad true? Discuss by adding behind the scenes details and facts (hypothetical).
True Crime TVID TV and other cable channels now feature several popular “true crime” shows. The format for all these shows is the same: a true crime from the past (usually 2 – 20 years old) is re-enacted with actors playing the roles of all of those involved; you also have short interviews with real-life family members of the victim, and the real-life police and detectives who worked the case will also be interviewed or narrate the drama as it unfolds for the viewer to enjoy. At the end of each show, you have seen how the crime unfolded, how innocent suspects were finally ruled out, and you learn the final prison verdict for the real culprit. What would make these “real crime” TV shows false or misleading? What would make these “true crime” TV shows true and not misleading? Discuss.
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