Consumers are faced with decisions every time they go online, listen to the radio, or even just drive down the street. Advertising embeds itself into every available space and influences how, when, and why we buy. The tricky part is not all advertisers are being fair or honest with you.
The goal of advertising is to convince consumers to choose one product over another and competition is heavy. This leads to advertisers cutting corners, creating false and misleading ads to win the battle. We understand the risks of predatory advertising and how product liability could have far-reaching impacts.
Don’t fall for the miracle cure
Everyone has a health trick these days. There’s a constant battle to see who can come up with a new way to convince people how they can shed a few pounds or get rid of stubborn acne or completely eliminate other common health battles many people face daily. There is so much money in this because everyone wants to just wish away the problem and move on with their lives.
The truth is: if someone were to ever create an actual and scientific method to eliminate these common health issues, they’d instantly be one of the richest people in the world. It wouldn’t take a Facebook advertisement to convince people to purchase the “cure,” because it would be all over the news and there’d be no question about its legitimacy.
The “before and after” fallacy
This one falls in line with the miracle cure above. You will often see health products loaded with before and after photos of someone who allegedly used their products. The problem is: photoshop and trick photography. Modern technology allows us to manipulate lighting, framing, and even edit photos to look the way we want them.
Unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes, you should always assume a before and after is misleading because a company has no reason to ever publish before and after photos that don’t convince the consumer of the miracle they claim.
Avoid websites with ad clusters
A lot of “clickbait” websites will cluster the entire page with advertisements. From top to bottom, you’ll see advertisements all over the place. Sometimes there’s even an entire section dedicated to a handful of ads just thrown together to compete with each other.
These are not the types of websites you should be visiting, and you definitely shouldn’t be engaging with advertisements on these pages. These low-end websites are likely funded exclusively through those ads and it’s unlikely there’s a reasonable level of oversight to ensure the ads are fair and straightforward.
You aren’t alone in trying to sift through all the noise to find the right products for your life. At Capshaw & Associates, we aren’t afraid to go after companies whose products fall short of what they promised, especially if you get hurt in the process. For a team of attorneys with unmatched experience and better results, contact us today.