Do you get as infuriated as I do when you see these ads?

What the hell are those lies?
I’m with you, Chuck.

sigh, the sheep, the sheep. who will care for the sheep!! they will walk right into this wolf’s mouth….sigh sigh

“the same calories as sugar or honey”- what a hollow statement.

here’s an extended clip from “King Corn”. Scary stuff.

Interest Groups, always amazing.

Remember when the salt guys claimed that a completely over-salted diet can only be healthy if anything in around 2000?

The only thing that pisses me off so much is that we live in a society where enough people are stupid and undereducated enough that producing such a garbage campaign is worthwhile to interest groups. That’s the infuriating part.

No more than any other advertising that seeks to part me from my money because I’m supposed to believe the ad.

That’s absolutely ridiculous. How have those ads not been banned? You guys having something like the ASA, right?

@richardhenry

Free enterprise and the 1st Amendment Richard,

sometimes I wonder when they will change the constitution to “We the Corporations”....:(

@TaoSan: So they’ll allow an ad without anything to back it up?

Jesus, the ASA banned the iPhone ad that claimed ‘the whole internet in your pocket’ because when surveyed, most people felt that Flash was an integral part of the ‘whole internet’. Apple had to add a little tag to the bottom that explained that it didn’t include Flash before they could air it again.

Here’s a spoof made regarding these commercials. The production value isn’t exactly great, but it’s kind of clever.

@AstroChuck Love it. :)

@richardhenry- They can say this because “technically” it is true. They throw around the word “moderation” to make you think that this stuff is perfectly alright. You can eat or drink almost anything if you use moderation. The problem is it’s difficult to eat or drink anything from the supermarket that doesn’t contain HCFC, so it’s a little difficult to just to eat/drink this stuff in moderation. If you don’t pay too much attention to what they say in these ads it sounds as though HCFC is perfectly fine. In fact it’s the greatest thing ever and you should not listen to those party poopers and naysayers and have all you want.

In America a politician can accuse his rival of palling around with terrorists. And you can make any claim you want about your product as long as you pay the right people.

I had to laugh when I saw them for the first time because it made me realize that we had “big corn” running scared. The corn growers have lobbyists. They have ad agencies.
I think that before the ads only a small percentage of us were “in the know”. Now I think a whole lot of others might question, “Why is high fructose corn syrup campaigning?”
I think it will backfire.

@Richard

Yip, you can say and promise whatever the heck you please, especially when it is a vague “awareness” ad like this. The copywriting is done by lawyers and not copywriters, and the introduction of the term “moderation” which is hard to define, makes it okay.

Awful, isn’t it?

In the US, advertisers must get ads cleared by the national networks (NBC, CBS,ABC,FOX) before they can be aired on those networks. The challange EVERY claim that’s made and will ask for the research or legal substantiation. Local networks can ask to clear a spot, but it’s rare because they need the money and are not as concerned with the national reputation. Cable networks will run ANYTHING and wont ask for any substantiation.

That’s the broad answer. There are then separate rules down to day-part as to what can/can’t be aired by the National networks.

nope they don’t bother me at all. i rarely believe any tv commercial.

Argh, I hate the ones for drugs to treat chronic diseases that make patients seem like utter idiots. “It turns out, my asthma symptoms kept coming back!” – what asthma sufferer thinks it’s going to be cured? “I knew RA (rheumatoid arthritis) was painful, but I didn’t know it could attack my joints!” – that’s what arthritis is!!

It’s really just a sad statement on the American economy. Companies will spend millions or more in advertising for failing industries and the technologies of the future are left to other countries because the lobbyists pay off the government to not allow the growth and innovation that would stifle the current status quo.