Common Issues Within Advertisements

 Jenna Hill

jh875318@ohio.edu

Super Bowl Sunday for some is one of the best days of the year. This day is filled with hours of sports, performances, and of course, the best commercial advertisements. Corporations spend millions of dollars to have their advertisement on air for 30 seconds.  

Why do companies spend this much money for a short amount of air time; millions of viewers across the world tune in to this specific event. Super Bowl ads often influence consumers based on the quality of the ad. Think back to a few iconic ads over the last few years. For example, Cardi B's commercial with Pepsi "okkkkurr" or Post Malone sponsoring Mountain Dew.

 

Celebrity endorsements, songs, phrases, and emotions all play large factors in advertising. These are most often positive factors. Now, what are factors that could negatively affect ads and cause issues? 

Source: bMedia Group

Within the strategic communication side, the primary focus is to publish successful ads for the client. Strategic Journalists have to balance publishing what is best for their clients while following the code of ethics. During lecture, we have covered the importance of publishing the truth. Journalists must publish information for the public that is true and free from bias. The article from the Pew Research Center shows only 26% of surveyed American adults correctly identified the factual statements provided. This shows it is a common struggle today for consumers to identify whether the information they are taking in is the truth or what is often called fake news.

Within the world of advertisement, being cautious of false information is imperative. Another important factor is the use of wording and the structuring of publications. One word or phrase may change how the entire excerpt is portrayed to the public. Punctuation can completely change the interpretation as well. 

The USA Today shares some of the largest fraudulent advertisement claims. These false claims resulted in lawsuits against the companies for false advertisement. For example, New Balance became involved in a $2.3 million lawsuit after falsely claiming their shoes burned off more calories than any other shoe. 

Similarly, the Eclipse Gum company claimed magnolia bark extract found in their gum kills germs that cause bad breath. This claim was proven untrue; the Wrigley Company then agreed to pay 7 million dollars to settle the lawsuit and pay back buyers. 

False claims within advertisements can create large issues for both journalists and their clientele. In addition, missing grammatical or punctuation errors can flip the intended influence for consumers. The bMedia Company shares examples of marketing mistakes in billboard ads. One example is found on the Days Inn Company store sign. The sign reads much different than what was intended, changing the influence. It is imperative for journalists and their team to pay specific attention in the proofreading stage of the publishing process to correctly display the idea to the public.