Deceptive Advertising: Fooling the Public Some of the Time

One of my biggest pet peeves is mascara ads that tout the benefits of the product by using models wearing false eyelashes. Do they really think they are fooling us? Well, I guess they are because the ads don’t seem to halt sales. Cracking down on the ads does no good either. A few years ago, Cover Girl was forced to pull ads for their NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara which featured Taylor Swift whose lashes had been photoshopped to a lush fullness. The National Advertising Division, a self-regulatory body administered by The Better Business Bureau, has slapped the wrists of several cosmetics companies for their use of false lashes in mascara ads – but the use of falsies continues. And deceptive advertising is not limited to cosmetics companies. What you see is not always what you get. And, look, I get it. Or at least some of it. Ice cream melts under hot lights so mashed potatoes seem like a suitable substitute. I don’t see the harm there but when taking creative license results in the wholesale misrepresentation of a product or its benefits, I have a problem.

Take a look at this infographic and let me know what you think.