Freecreditreport.com is NOT actually free, nor is it related to Annualcreditreport.com, the free credit report that you are entitled to under federal law. So why are people still being tricked into signing up for a credit monitoring service in order to get something that they are entitled to under federal-freaking-law? Because the credit bureaus are linking them to the website and most consumers don’t believe that a major credit bureau would try to trick them. Always read the fine print!
advertising
Greyhound Pulls "Bus Rage" Ad After Passenger Beheaded, Cannibalized
By 8.6.08
Here’s some unfortunate news from our neighbor to the north. In case you haven’t heard, there was a violent and unprovoked attack on a Greyhound bus in Canada recently in which on passenger stabbed, beheaded, and cannibalized another passenger. In the wake of this horrific incident, Greyhound is pulling their latest ad campaign.
Almond Joy Is In Denial About Its Almond Usage
By 7.28.08
We’ll admit that it would look a little sad to advertise a single lonely almond on the wrapper of the .6 oz Almond Joy. But printing “Coconut & Almonds” on the front, including an illustration of two almonds next to the text, and then referencing “almonds” in the ingredients list, looks a little misleading when you open the package and see one lonely nut lump on your candy. (Thanks to James!)
Snickers Makes Fun Of Effeminate Men By Shooting Them
By 7.28.08
Using codes of masculinity to sell products to guys is nothing new, but it’s usually about beer, “hard lemonade” or deodorant. It’s also usually funny, and pokes fun at male insecurities while celebrating them. A new Snickers commercial, however, seems to just be about beating the crap out of sissies.
60's Ad: If Your Man Likes The Unexpected, Serve Rice
By 7.23.08
This 1960’s ad for rice teaches us once again that you can sell anything if you pair it with a hot chick. These days, probably the only thing unexpected thing about rice is its price. Full-size inside.
Modell's Beats Any Price, As Long As It's Not On Sale
By 7.22.08
Modell’s own peculiar definition of “low price guarantee, we will beat any ad” surprised reader Randy when he tried to get them to honor it on a baseball glove he bought, as it would even the most casual student of Logic or Semantics. He writes:
Settlement: Sara Lee Agrees To Change Misleading "Whole Grain" Packaging
By 7.21.08
Back in December the Center for Science in the Public Interest became annoyed with Sara Lee for allegedly misleading consumers about the amount of “whole grain” in their breads. The organization announced its intention to sue Sara Lee over its “Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread,” which claims to combine “all the taste and texture of white bread with the goodness of whole grain,” when actually “there is more water in this product than whole grain,” according to the CSPI.
Should AT&T Be Advertising The iPhone's 3G Speed Where There Is No 3G Network?
By 7.21.08
Reader temporaryerror brings up an interesting point. Should AT&T and Apple be advertising the iPhone 3G as “twice as fast” in areas where there is no 3G coverage? He sent in the above advertisement from the local Wichita, KS newspaper. He says that the closest 3G network is 120 miles away in Topeka, and that the advertisement doesn’t disclose this information. Is this ok?
Well, At Least It's Free
By 7.16.08
Here’s a sign Flickr member betterbethany found in Portland, Oregon over the weekend. We like to imagine there’s a competitor’s sign nearby that just reads “Free Dirt.”
Häagen-Dazs Drink Special Costs Twice As Much With "No Ice" Thanks To Handwritten Mouseprint
By 7.16.08
Reader Joanne is wondering if the tiny handwritten mouseprint on the Haagen-Dazs drink special sign is purposefully misleading. She saw the special and ordered the drink, but when she asked for “no ice” she was told that it would cost twice as much, and that this information was on the sign. Her boyfriend examined the sign (after she got her ice-packed drink) and sure enough, in tiny handwriting at the bottom of the sign was a note that said the drink cost twice as much with “no ice.”
Study: Baby Boomers Are "Savvy Shoppers" Who Brand-Jump More Than Younger Generations
By 7.9.08
It’s time once again to play Categorize The Shopping Public, this time using a survey commissioned by TV Land to convince advertisers that its Boomer-centric programming is relevant. If you or someone you know is between the ages of 40-59, you won’t want to miss this very important message—but to summarize it for the ADD crowd, it seems younger folks are (slightly) more likely to choose a brand based on fashion and hype, whereas Boomers are (slightly) less brand-loyal and seek greater value. This runs counter to the conventional wisdom that younger consumers are savvier shoppers, and gives Boomers something to gloat over—before they forget what it is they’re gloating about. Ha ha! Old people are so old!
It's A Miracle! This Free Digital TV Converter Box Will Cost Me $100
By 7.9.08
We know you’re too smart to fall for this ridiculously fraudulent digital TV converter offer, but maybe you know someone who’s not wise to the facts of the upcoming switch to digital TV—specifically that converter boxes cost less than $100, and that you can get a government coupon to offset $40 of that cost. Universal TechTronics—the same scam outfit behind those “Amish” Heat Surge miracle fireplaces—is now conning the less knowledegable with their “free” converter box offer: pay nothing but a warranty and shipping, bringing the total cost to anywhere between $68 and $97. The Los Angeles Times says this is “the first large-scale [converter box] scam the Better Business Bureau has seen.”
PedEgg Ads Scam, Suit Alleges
By 6.26.08
Who would have ever thought that a low-budget infomercial touting an egg-shaped device home pedicure device with “100 precision microfiles” might be deceptive in some way? Not, apparently, its actors, two of whom are suing the makers of “PedEgg.” The thespians say they PedEgg told them the commercial would be internets-only. Instead, it’s on the national airways. We don’t care about that part. Rather, we chuckle over the suit’s revelation that PedEgg hired a horror-makeup guy to apply “artificial bumps and discoloration” to their feet to increase the contrast between the “before” and “after” shots. Quelle horreru! Besides their dishonest advertising tactics, someone should also sue PedEgg for the gross-out shot when they dump all the foot shavings in the trash. See the full commercial inside.
Wal-Mart "Genuine Steakhouse Brand Steaks" Are "100% Guaranteed Fresh" (Some Restrictions Apply)
By 6.18.08
Reader Richie would like to point out the impressive pointlessness of this Wal-Mart promotion for “Genuine SteakHouse Steak.”
Mommy Needs A New Pair Of Stimulus Shoes
By 6.12.08
Upgrade: Travel Better blogger Mark Ashley sends in this ad he spotted at the Oak Hollow Mall in High Point North Carolina, exhorting shoppers to use their stimulus payments in a selfish splurge on depreciating assets.
Pour Some Hate Juice On This Obnoxious Diamond Ad
By 6.11.08
Apropos of today’s Worst Company In America matchup between DeBeers and Exxon, Wesa Anderson sends us this EE Robbins diamond ad seen on the side of a Seattle bus. See, the way it works is the more you spend, the more man you are. No girl can resist a big rock. Hey, maybe I should make extra cash drafting taglines for EE Robbins.
For The Lumber Liquidators, Economic Woes Yield Advertising Gold
By 6.11.08
While some people conflate “recession” with “depression,” the enterprising gents at Lumber Liquidators are using it as a cheery marketing hook. An ad on their website shouts, “Take advantage of the weak dollar! We ship anywhere in the world.” I guess when your brand is all about the color yellow, it’s hard to be a mopeypants.
Wal-Mart Challenges Craigslist With Free Online Ads
By 6.10.08
In an attempt to tighten their stranglehold on American consumers, Wal-Mart has quietly launched a free Internet classified ad service, directly challenging Craigslist, the reigning Internet ad champion. The Wall Street Journal says, “The service, which the retailer described as a pilot test, carries 30 million items, including foreclosed homes, basset hounds, Madonna concert tickets and a 1981 Ford Firebird, as Wal-Mart tapped into Oodle Inc.’s menagerie of listings.” More, inside…
