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Originally Posted by tima
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Thank you for that link. However, the existance of a watchdog does not automatically mean the effectiveness of that watchdog.
I had a cursory look at the codes on exaggeration and it seems to me that this Authority seems to apply a degree of flexibility to the simple, unambiguous guidelines listed.
Seems to me that the ASA (which only applies to UK aired ads, I believe) will only come in if blatantly exaggerated claims are made.
My point is that ad exaggeration is not always blatant, but is still there.
You pick any advert you like and then you ask yourself: what are they suggesting about the product and is this true to life? I do and in general the answer has been no: they are not realistic. - When you drive you car, the streets are never empty to be your urban playground.
- When you wash your hair with a given shampoo, you do not have a mirror-like finish that has everyone's head turning .
- When you have a cold, a lemquick will not restore you to full vitality and energy, sweeping aside every speck of phlegm and mucus
- When you buy a motorbike you will not be as free as a bird.
- When you drink that particular beverage you will not suddenly be a social success.
Then there are the "scientific" ads based on surveys of 100 people out of a potential customer base of millions....
You get the picture...
I can't remember the last time an advert, selling a product, that left me thinking "well, that is exactly the experience I have had of that product".
Now if my views have struck a nerve for whatever reason, well I'm very sorry, but these are my views based on my experience as a consumer... Consumers being the very people ads are designed to target.
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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)
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