We all know that airfare sales generally come with all sorts of strings attached — restrictions on dates, routes, and seat types are to be expected — but if you’re going to advertise a sale as having “no gotchas,” then it’s a bit disingenuous to have nearly 400 words of mouseprint conditions full of restrictions. [More]
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Public Backlash Grows Against Proposed Ads In National Parks
By 9.27.16
Backlash is growing against a proposal by the National Park Service that would allow some corporate logos and signage within park boundaries, with the majority of folks who weighed in on the idea during a public commenting period saying they’re against it. [More]
Minnesota Vikings Let Wells Fargo Keep “Photobombing” Rooftop Signs After All
By 9.21.16
Maybe the Minnesota Vikings are feeling generous after a 2-0 start, but the NFL team is reportedly going to allow Wells Fargo to keep the two rooftop signs the bank allegedly erected to “photobomb” the Vikes’ new stadium — even though a court already ordered Wells to remove the signs. [More]
Mattress Store Apologizes For Ad Parodying Twin Towers Falling On 9/11
By 9.9.16
A San Antonio mattress store is apologizing after posting a video on Facebook advertising a “Twin Towers Sale” that parodies the World Trade Center towers collapsing. [More]
CBS Will Let You Watch New Star Trek Show Without Commercials… For $4/Month More
By 8.31.16
As CBS prepares to put bona fide original content — like the upcoming online-only version of Big Brother and next year’s new Star Trek: Discovery series — on its $6/month All Access streaming service, the network realizes that hey, maybe people will pay a bit more to avoid having to watch all those flippin’ commercials. [More]
City-Owned Airport Can’t Reject Ads Just Because They Aren’t Selling A Product
By 8.26.16
If a city-owned facility is going to sell advertising space to bring in revenue, to what extent can the city restrict the content of those ads before crossing the line into government-ordered censorship? This week, a federal appeals court confirmed that when a city enacts a wholesale ban on certain types of ads, it’s gone too far. [More]
Ad Watchdog: Comcast Should Stop Claiming “Fastest Internet In America”
By 8.9.16
If you live in one of the many parts of the country served by Comcast, you’ve likely seen the company’s nearly endless ads claiming that its Xfinity broadband “delivers the fastest internet in America,” and the “fastest, most reliable in-home WiFi.” However, an ad industry watchdog group has asked Comcast to rein in its bragging. [More]
Feds Accuse 1-800 Contacts Of Badvertising
By 8.8.16
The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit today against 1-800 Contacts, accusing the online lens retailer of making agreements with more than a dozen competitors to not compete with each other for online search ads, resulting in lens buyers paying higher prices. [More]
NBC Universal Will Make Original “Shows” For Snapchat
By 8.8.16
A number of high-profile entertainment companies are already programming content for Snapchat, but for the most part it’s repurposed stories, photos, list-icles, and infographics that has seen life elsewhere in the world. However, NBC Universal seems to believe Snapchat could be a platform for exclusive original content. [More]
Dog Food Company Accused Of Falsely Advertising It Could Extend Dog’s Life By 30%
By 8.4.16
As the proud pop of a pup, of course I want him to live as long and happy a life as possible. At the same time, I’d hope that any product claiming to be able to extend my dog’s years has the evidence to back up this boast. [More]
Expect Fewer Obnoxious DraftKings & FanDuel Ads This Football Season
By 8.1.16
Last fall, daily fantasy sports seemed to come out of nowhere, with the industry’s two biggest players — DraftKings and FanDuel — also suddenly emerging as two of the biggest spenders on TV advertising. Constant commercials, sponsored segments on sports shows; even the final season of FXX’s The League had a bizarre, shoehorned-in season-long DraftKings subplot. All these ads brought DFS gamers to the two sites, but they also attracted the attention of state regulators, resulting in Nevada and New York being added to the list of states where DFS is not (for the moment) allowed. Now the two sites say they plan to rein in their ad spending and make ads that don’t play up the aspects that make DFS look a lot like gambling to some people. [More]
Mercedes Pulls Potentially Confusing Ads For 2017 E-Class That Call The Car ‘Self-Driving’
By 7.29.16
Fully autonomous cars will be available to consumers someday, but not yet. After consumer advocates, including our own parent organization, Consumer Reports, complained to Mercedes and to the Federal Trade Commission about the misleading nature of an ad that shows off a new model’s driver-assist features. The car isn’t autonomous, but advocates were concerned that the ads imply that it is. [More]
Cancer Centers Tripled Ad Spending In Last Decade; Are They Pushing Hope Or Hype?
By 7.18.16
If you watch cable TV — especially basic cable during the daytime — you’ve likely seen your share of heartwarming ads showing off cancer survivors who were saved from the brink by the handsome physicians and nurses at [Fill In The Blank] cancer treatment center. Over the last decade, direct-to-consumer marketing by cancer centers has soared, with much of that spending concentrated in the hands of about two dozen operators. However, some doctors are concerned that these ads aren’t selling patients on the reality, but on the experiences of a few rare cases. [More]
Warner Bros. Paid Popular YouTubers To Post Positive Clips About Video Game
By 7.11.16
Being a “social media influencer” must be a pretty sweet deal: People send you free stuff, and pay you money just in the hopes that you’ll say nice things about their products. Problem is, those companies can get into trouble if the influencers don’t properly reveal that they were paid for their commentary. [More]
Facebook Would Like To Know If An Advertiser Scammed You
By 6.30.16
It’s one thing if an online ad is misleading or misrepresents the site that you click on, but what happens when you order an item that isn’t as promised? As overseas clothing companies that market solely through Facebook have proliferated, some customers blame Facebook, even though the site doesn’t vet the products and services of every advertiser. Now, at least, Facebook wants to listen if you’re scammed or misled by an ad on the site. [More]
Ford Dealership Swipes Video Game Art For Ad; Doesn’t Understand How DMCA Works
By 6.27.16
We live in an age where a digital copy of just about any piece of artwork is obtainable for free with a couple of clicks and taps on your computer or phone. That doesn’t mean you can just use said artwork in an ad to tell people about some deal on a 2016 Ford Focus. [More]
Wells Fargo Must Remove Signs Built To “Photo Bomb” New Minnesota Vikings Stadium
By 6.24.16
Our brief regional nightmare is over, after a federal court ordered Wells Fargo to take down two rooftop signs erected to cash in on the impending media coverage of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium in Minneapolis. [More]
One Free Meal From A Pharma Sales Rep May Be Enough To Change Doctors’ Prescribing Habits
By 6.23.16
Your physician may have any number of degrees, honors, certifications, and other framed pieces of paper mounted to their office walls, but does any of that make them less susceptible to a glad-handing pharmaceutical sales rep who comes armed with some reading materials, free samples, and a lunch charged to their expense account? [More]
