It’s really hard to get complex ideas across during a 30-second television commercial. However, the National Adverting Division, which investigates ad claims for the industry’s self-regulation body, says that Sprint still isn’t really getting across the subtleties of its promotions for new customers switching from other carriers, and has referred the ads to the Federal Communications Commission. [More]
read the fine print
Sprint Promises To Actually Cut Your Bill In Half This Time, Maybe
By 11.18.15
Last year, Sprint started its “cut your bill in half” promotion, even though customers’ actual savings turned out to be more like 20% once customers acquired a new phone for Sprint. Today, Sprint announced that they’re continuing the deal and expanding it to T-Mobile customers. But not all T-Mobile customers. [More]
Read The Fine Print: Allstate Safe Driving Bonus Checks Aren’t Available In All States
By 11.9.15 — Updated: 6.1.17
Sometimes, it’s annoying to watch television and see ads for businesses or products that don’t exist in your area, like the Sonic ads on cable that taunted us here in the Northeast for years. In a series of Allstate ads that air nationwide, the insurer talks about a biannual bonus check that customers who don’t get in accidents receive. “Where’s my check?” asked one Allstate customer who hasn’t had an accident in decades. Where, indeed? [More]
Pizza Hut 'Slashes' Price Of Supreme By Adding $2
By 9.2.10
Chuck enjoyed Pizza Hut’s supreme pizza, especially via its $10-a-pie promotion. But a new advertising campaign, in which the mega-chain claims to be slashing prices on all its pizzas, has made his supreme cost $12 instead of $10 because it surpasses the new three-topping threshold. [More]
Coca Cola Tells $10,000 Winner He Did Not Win; Gives Him $500 Instead
By 5.25.09
A Connecticut limo driver with six kids was thrilled to discover he had won $10,000 in scholarship funds in a new Coca Cola sweepstakes. He even got a message from Coke congratulating him on his win. Turns out it wasn’t The Real Thing after all: the message was an error, triggered by a promo test. He hadn’t won a cent, because the “Twist and Text” contest didn’t actually start for another three weeks.
