Finally, most marketers struggle with the fine line between what is permissible and
not permissible in advertising. In addition to cultural and stylistic considerations, marketers must also carefully consider how they portray their products to potential customers. For example, the Federal Trade Commission fined both Skechers ($40 million)
and Reebok ($25 million) for false claims about their fitness shoes. The FTC found that
both companies misled consumers with ads claiming that using their shoes would lead to
a more perfect body.
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Product claims are also important in comparative advertising,
which occurs when one firm compares its product with one or more competing products
on specific features or benefits. Comparative advertising is common in product categories such as soft drinks, automobiles, computers, and over-the-counter medications. In
some cases, this comparison is direct, as in Burger King’s “Whopper Virgin”taste test,
where the company had people who had never tasted a hamburger before compare a
McDonald’s Big Mac with the Burger King Whopper. In other cases, the comparison
used in the advertisement is indirect or implied. Procter & Gamble uses this tactic
when promoting its Gillette razors as“The Best a Man Can Get.”The implied comparison in this case involves all competing razors on the market. Under the provisions of the
Trademark Law Revision Act, marketers using comparative advertising must ensure they
do not misrepresent the characteristics of competing products.