Misleading Food And Product Advertisements

I think most places will have better advertising pictures so they will get the sales. I also think that they exaggerate in commercials to make their products seem so much better than what it really is just to get sales. I try not to buy into the advertising hype that they put out but sometimes, I will try something to see if I like it better than something else or because it is new.

 

I've worked in an ad agency before and when it comes to advertising it's almost always laced with lies. If you're advertising something then that means you need profit more than anything else and believe me when I tell you that most companies would do anything within the edge of decency to sell you stuff.

The cheeseburgers at McDonalds always gets me. Don't get me wrong though, they taste good enough to give you cancer but seeing how it looks on the ads and seeing it in your hands when you're about to take a bite is a huge night and day difference but if you think about it, what can they do? I mean would you buy a burger than looks like it came from a dirty grill somewhere?

 

The United States pride itself in the abundance of regulations it has put in place for almost every type of activity. I have seen where people have been charged for activities such as mail fraud and wire fraud. However, I notice that in advertising people continually misrepresent information to induce people to spend their money. They would employ persons to give a false statement and they will also advertise stuff that when the buyer receives it they find that it's somewhat different from what was advertised.
I wonder why there have been no sanctions applied to stop this practice. Isn't there a consumer protection organization in the United States?

 

Of course it's a problem of false advertising, but in restaurants there's also the problem of people not being properly trained on how to make the food.

I go to Steak n Shake on a weekly basis, and I always get the same thing. Well, I went to a different location than my normal one last week, and ended up with a burger patty that you could literally see through. There were holes in it from being pressed so thin. Knowing this is NOT how it's normally made, I made a complaint and ended up with a free meal.

 

I actually just listened to a podcast discussing this! Substitutes are needed just to make food look even edible because real food photographs terribly under the harsh stage lights of a studio. After that, it's just enhancement and optimization of those substitutes, plus Photoshop (or slow-mo, if the ad is a video). These fancy tricks, added to all of the expensive cameras and other equipment, leads to the exorbitant costs of commercials. Hundreds of thousands of dollars burned for less than a minute!


Side note: My dream-job-of-the-day is now "food stylist"

 

I've always known that we as consumers always get the raw deal because what we are sold through false advertising is very rarely what we end up paying for. But actually sitting here and reading through all the comments here really drives it home, and it's enough to make anyone angry. I'm glad that the UK has started cracking down on false advertising and the law questions anything that's regarded as being deliberately misleading. I sure hope that the trend continues and expands.

 

Almost all of the stores that I've visited lately have these false advertisement. You ordered a whole chicken because it looks juicy and big but they served a dry chick instead. You ordered this quarter pound burger because it looks humongous and they serve you a normal sized burger. I really hate what they do. the same reason why I just cook our own food. At least you really do get what you want, and a lot cheaper.

 

I've experienced this as well with one of the fast food chains in our country. These guys are selling Lasagna and it looks good over the picture and it shows there that it has three layers but after ordering I get a two layered lasagna with a very soggy pasta. I admit that despite of the fact that it taste good, the picture still shows false advertising. Another experience would be with a Telco company. This Telco features an unlimited browsing capability but I was shocked because they cut my connection off after downloading 1 GB data. Most of the companies these days will find ways to rip you off.

 

I don't buy food items online. When I have to buy food I always visit the store, grocery or farmers market. If there is any new food product in the market, I don't jump to buy it immediately. I wait until I hear genuine feedback on the product. I am never mislead by ads and promotions.

 

And I guess I know what that telco is. They really rip off subscribers a lot. They advertise a fast connection but deliver what we call "turtle net".

 

True! I can't comment more on this but that's how businesses works these days. I've submitted a lot of complaints before to one govt. office but I believe someone from the inside do underhanded businesses with that telco as well. I may have to call the Govt. Complaint Hotline number to report these guys. You're familiar with the 8888 number for sure.

 

I am well familiar with these number and might contact them for a lot of complaining. Paying for a service that does not even deliver half of what they promised. We have the most expensive and way too slow internet connection in the world i think.

 

True. If SMC only continued their partnership with the big telecom company in the south, we might already have an Internet connection that we could boast with others.

 

This type of misleading happening in all types of products and services not only food items. And also advertisers use celebrity to promote their misleading products easily.

 

Yes sometimes the pictures they present to us are just exaggeration of what they actually serve. I remember an experience with one of the kitchen, the arrangement of the chicken in the bucket with all the condiments that followed was looking superb. Ordered for one, to my surprise this was not exactly the way I saw it on the displayed pic.

 

I feel you. Experienced the same thing at McDonald's. I ordered a Quarter Pounder which I truly missed and I think the last time I've eaten a Quarter Pounder was like a year ago so I'm a bit excited in getting my "favorite" burger so I ordered it. Then when I was about to take a bite, I was shocked with the patty and I thought they gave me the wrong burger but when I checked, it was really a Quarter Pounder and I was like "What the heck happened?". I was really disappointed because it was probably my most favorite burger and they messed it up big time

After that I never tried buying Quarter Pounders again or any McDonald's burger. Yes it does taste the same but I don't think it is worth it

 

If only Telstra was allowed to operate here, that might make a difference. Let's just see If Chinese companies would invade our telco industry. I hope it will not be the same as what we are experiencing now.

 

I doubt it. I have a fear that our Internet would have censorship just like what the communist country have and most of us might rely on using Proxy Anonymizers, VPN and TOR.

 

I would stick to what we have right now than what you have said. That would be the end of us if it would happen.