|
Before-and-After Testimonials
Unsupported claims often appeared in
consumer testimonials – that is, personal accounts of success with
the product or service. One testimonial said, “7 weeks ago I weighed
268 pounds; now I’m down to just 148 pounds! ... I didn’t change my
eating habits ....”
Before-and-after photos appeared
in 39 percent of the ads. In the before photo, the person usually
appeared with poor posture, a neutral facial expression, unkempt
hair, unfashionable clothes, and washed-out skin tones. The after
photo, however, was better lit, almost of studio-quality. The person
was smiling, wearing fashionable clothes or skimpily clad, carefully
made up and stylishly coiffed, and standing with shoulders held back
and tummy tucked in.
At least 10 percent of the
testimonials claimed an amount of weight loss that is extremely
unlikely – if not impossible. The rest probably provided results
that occurred in only a small percentage of users, Cleland says.
“There’s nothing wrong with using
testimonials, as long as they are truthful and not misleading,” he
says. “But in our experience, testimonials generally provide little
reliable information about what consumers can expect from using the
product.”
Changes in Weight-Loss Ads
In comparing weight-loss ads from eight
national magazines published in 1992 and 2001, the reviewers found
that the use of testimonials and before-and-after photos had
increased. The percentage of weight-loss ads using testimonials
climbed from 12.5 percent in 1992 to 76 percent in 2001. Use of
before-and-after photos increased from 12.5 percent to 48 percent.
Another difference noted was that
dietary supplements comprised two-thirds of the weight-loss products
advertised in 2001. In 1992, meal replacement products were the most
commonly advertised product.
In addition, the number of times
weight-loss ads appeared in the magazines more than doubled between
1992 and 2001, and the 2001 ads generally included more highly
questionable claims.
Need for Critical Evaluation
The FTC’s report notes that deception in weight-loss advertising has
worsened despite an “unprecedented level of FTC enforcement.” Since
1990, the FTC has brought more than 80 cases against advertisers for
allegedly false and misleading weight-loss claims – more than half
the total number filed since the FTC’s first weight-loss case in
1927.
The report calls on government
agencies, trade associations, self-regulatory groups, the media, and
consumers to consider how they might help reduce the incidence of
misleading weight-loss ads.
For consumers, the study provides
important information on how to spot deceptive weight-loss products
and services, says Walter Gross, an attorney in the FTC’s Division
of Enforcement and co-author of the study.
“Claims like ‘rapid weight loss,’
‘no diet or exercise required,’ ‘eat whatever you want,’ and ‘take
it off and keep it off’ are all ‘hot’ buttons advertisers use to get
consumers to buy their products and services,” he says. “Knowing how
to recognize these will help consumers make more informed choices.”
|
