Barring the Door Against Irresponsible Ads: Guidelines for Media Outlets and Advertisers

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Barring the Door Against Irresponsible Ads
Guidelines for Media Outlets and Advertisers
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(No Transcript)
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Role of Media

• No effortless ways to lose weight
• Programs which promise magic bullet for losing
  weight can be dangerous
• Media is the gatekeeper who dictates which weight
  management ads reach the public
• Media encouraged to fight against fraud!

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Weight-Loss AdvertisingAn Analysis of Current
Trends

• Federal Trade Commission analysis of a
  non-random sample of 300 ads from

• Newspapers
• Supermarket tabloids
• Direct mail
• Commercial e-mail (spam)
• Internet Web sites

• Broadcast and cable television
• Infomercials
• Radio
• Magazines

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Most Common Marketing Techniques

• Consumer testimonials (65) before/after photos
  (42)
• Rapid weight-loss claims (57)
• No diet or exercise required (42)
• Long-term/permanent weight-loss claims (41)
• Clinically proven (40)/doctor approved claims
  (25)
• Natural (71)/safe weight-loss claims (42)

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Bad Ads on the Rise

• Between 1992 and 2001
• Double in frequency
• Three-fold increase in separate and distinct ads

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No Diet! No Exercise!
Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days
Eat Your Favorite Foods and Still Lose Weight
Turn on Your Bodys Fat Burning Process
Scientists Announce Incredible Discovery!
Shrinks Inches Off Your Stomach, Waist and Hips
Revolutionary European Method! Ancient Chinese
Secret!
Automatically Convert Fat to Lean Trim Muscle!
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effortless weight loss. Same results
as Jogging 10 miles per week, An hour of
aerobics per day, 15 hours of swimming or cycling
per week
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Extravagant Claims of Dramatic, Rapid Weight Loss

• Fast results

• Atypical testimonials

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Illegible or Hard to Read Disclosures
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Dramatic before and after Pictures
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Too-good-to-be-true Statements

• Reference to Miracles

No Need to Diet or Exercise
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The Medical Angle

• Reference to medical research or expert
  endorsements

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http//www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/adscr
een.htm