Deceptive Advertising

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Marketing Term Paper

Deceptive Advertising

Deceptive advertising has been around since the beginning of time and still prevalent today. Sometimes it is done unknowingly by an advertiser, however more often than not; it is done with the intent to mislead the consumer making deceptive advertising a relevant marketing ethics issue. Deceptive advertising is a growing trend among business in our society. This trend includes directly trying to deceive consumers into thinking that they are getting something great but in reality they are getting nothing. All age groups are targeted by deceptive advertising it is just a matter of how consumer savvy you are. Almost all companies are guilty of this crime, including Phillip Morris Tobacco, weight loss programs and even grocery stores just to name a few.

Under both Federal and State law, an ad is unlawful if it tends to mislead or deceive even if it doesn't actually fool anyone. If your ad is deceptive you'll face legal problems whether you intended to mislead the customer or not. What counts is the overall impression created by the ad, not the technical truthfulness of the individual parts. Consumers are greatly influenced by countless advertisements urging then to purchase products that they may or may not need or want. The reason that many companies and business falsely inform consumers is purely for more business. If a company feels that a product does not have high enough quality as their competitors, the company will mark down the price and maybe put the product in an eye-catching box or make up a catchy slogan. A lot of consumers can see right through this scheme, but most do not. While many of these advertisements honestly inform and educate consumers, some are false, deceptive...

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...es controversial issue. What may appear to be a harmless advertisement to one person or group may be very misleading to another. With the increase in technology and the ever increasing use of the internet, consumers remain prime targets for deceptive advertising and marketing practices. Fortunately the laws and monitoring agencies continue to improve and will continue to protect the consumer from many advertising and marketing practices. All in all, although ads might be pleasing to the eye, and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, just remember they are mostly filled with lies and deceit. Try to study products and know what you are getting yourself into. Buyers…Beware.

Works Cited

American Marketing Association [online]. Available: www.ama.org

Better Business Bureau [online]. Available: www.bbb.org

Federal Trade Commission [online]. Available: www.ftc.gov

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