Corrective advertisements: punishment or extra publicity?

In 2008, Bayer falsely claimed in their ads that their birth control pill Yaz was suitable for treatment of acne and PMS. Therefore, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) enforced Bayer to spend $20 million on corrective advertisements. The question rises if more ads for this pill really are a punishment. Nowhere in the advertisement is explicitly mentionned that the ad is a correction for previous misleading information. As a non-informed consumer, you will probably don’t realise that you’re watching a corrective ad. Conclusion: Bayer gets more publicity, and no one will know that they have been mislead before.

Source:
Pharmaceutical company behind Yaz forced to air corrective advertising

Dhoest Dave

Blogging about (misleading) blogs

Bloggers may mislead their readers by writing deceptive articles about specific brands. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) warns that bloggers are being paid or getting free products by companies in order to write good reviews of their products by, if necessary, making false or misleading claims. This reviews written on blogs seem to be more effective than other forms of advertsing. According to recent studies, consumers show a growing confidence in consumer-generated-media and the recommendations of other consumers. Paid endorsements need to be clearly disclosed on the blogs, so the readers are aware that they are possibly reading a misleading blog. Otherwise, the bloggers can face fines up to $11.000 per violation.

Sources:
FTC Debates 'Traditional Media' vs. Blog Reviews; Demands Bloggers Disclose Freebies, Payments
Paid Blog Posts Create Misleading Content

Dhoest Dave

New study says corrective advertising hurts consumers trust in the whole industry

The study, Damage from Corrective Advertising: Causes and Cures, looked at the reasons why 89% of consumers are so suspicious of advertising. This study showed that using corrective advertising has given us, consumers, a lack of trust in the whole industry. “Damage from Corrective Advertising: Causes and Cures”, however, says that by giving a plausible explanation for the misleading claim through a press release, other negative reactions could be avoided. Still, advertisers have to ensure their claims are genuine instead of using other methods like word-of-mouth trough the internet to reach consumers and gain their trust.

Link to this article

http://www.marketingmag.ca/english/news/pr/article.jsp?content=20080821_144337_22360

Boris De Doncker

Coca-Cola issues corrective ads after misleading 'myth busters'

Last year, Coca-Cola South Pacific (CCSP) has published an ad named “Motherhood & Myth-Busting” where they claimed Coca-Cola was save for children. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ordered CCSP to correct their claims because they were misleading for consumers. They say consumers will get the impression that Coca-cola cannot contribute to weight gain, obesity and tooth decay. As a result of these complaints, CCSP will soon issue corrective advertisements all around Australia. Finally, CCSP was also told to include the correct levels of caffeine for Coca-Cola, Diet Coca-Cola (light) and Coca-Cola Zero; to exclude all other misunderstandings.

Link to the indicted advertisement:
http://www.parentsjury.org.au/downloads/Coca_Cola_Kerry_Armstrong_Oct_2008.pdf


Link to the original article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5314HW20090402


Boris De Doncker