When Is Advertising Considered False?
Today I thought we’d tackle the issue of false advertising. Too often
we hear and see things in print or television that are just not true.
Take this advertisement from Rogers for example.
The advertisement in question is proudly hanging in their store windows, most
probably part of their other integrated efforts, like print and direct
mail. In fact, they’re currently using it on the Rogers Video website
as I write this.
The sign states in big bold letters: “RETURN IT FAST FOR CASH”. It’s
almost screaming it at you and has a tacky set of arrows to go with
it for dramatic emphasis.
So now it’s time to find out what they mean. Will they actually give
me back some money? That would be cool…
Direct quote: “Return FAST-BACK BAYBACK MOVIES by 12 NOON the next
day and GET $1 OFF your next movie rental.”
Hold on! Wait a minute. Did they just say I’ll get $1 off my next
movie rental? That doesn’t sound like cash to me. It sounds more like
credit. In-store credit and a scam to have me come back for more
movies. Is it? I have to look this up to get the dictionary
definition. I have to make sure I am not misunderstanding the word “cash”.
Let’s see now, here is the official definition of the word.
cash
noun
. money in coins or notes, as distinct from checks, money orders, or
credit.
. money in any form, esp. that which is immediately available.
Note the part that says “as distinct from credit”.
So let’s apply a test. I go to the drug store next door.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“I took back some movies to Rogers the other day. They gave me $3 off
my next rental. Can I use that to buy anything here?”
Deadpan face. “No.”
Aha! So it is not money. I can’t spend it and it is not immediately
available is it?
How is it possible for this to happen? Could it be that the people in the
Roger’s marketing department are illiterate? That can’t be right or
they wouldn’t have been able to write the resume they used to get the
job. Or is it possible that they thought the word CASH in huge
letters would grab people’s attention more than IN-STORE CREDIT? Hmm…
The point of all of this being this. Is this false advertising? It is
clearly saying things that are not true. You will not even come close
to seeing cash for returning a video fast. So why are companies
allowed to mislead people this way? All I can do is ask and hope that
people pay attention and think.
As always, thank you for reading.