ing ad will be noted by less than 50 percent of the exposed audience. About 30 per-
cent of the exposed audience might recall the headline’s main point; about 25 per-
cent might remember the advertiser’s name; and less than 10 percent will read most
of the body copy. Ordinary ads do not achieve even these results.
An industry study listed the following characteristics for ads that scored above av-
erage in recall and recognition: innovation (new product or new uses), “story appeal”
(as an attention-getting device), before-and-after illustration, demonstrations, prob-
lem solution, and the inclusion of relevant characters that become emblematic of the
brand.^19
In recent years critics have bemoaned the spate of bland ads and slogans and, in
particular, the frequent use of the nonreferential “it,” as in “Coke is it”; Nike’s pop-
ular “Just do it”; and the most egregious offender, Miller Lite’s short-lived ad pro-
claiming, “It’s it and that’s that.”^20 Why do so many ads look or sound alike? Why
aren’t advertising agencies more creative? Norman W. Brown, former head of the ad-
vertising agency of Foote, Cone & Belding, says: “Many ads aren’t creative because
many companies want comfort, not creativity.”
Social Responsibility Review
Advertisers and their agencies must be sure their “creative” advertising doesn’t over-
step social and legal norms. Most marketers work hard to communicate openly and
honestly with consumers. Still, abuses occur, and public policy makers have devel-
oped a substantial body of laws and regulations to govern advertising.
Under U.S. law, companies must avoid false or deceptive advertising. Advertisers
must not make false claims, such as stating that a product cures something when it
does not. They must avoid false demonstrations, such as using sand-covered plexi-
glass instead of sandpaper to demonstrate that a razor blade can shave sandpaper. It
is illegal in the United States to create ads that have the capacity to deceive, even
though no one may actually be deceived. For example, a floor wax cannot be adver-
tised as giving six months’ protection unless it does so under typical conditions, and
a diet bread cannot be advertised as having fewer calories simply because its slices are
thinner. The problem is how to tell the difference between deception and “puffery”—
simple exaggerations not intended to be believed.
Sellers in the United States are legally obligated to avoid bait-and-switch advertis-
ing that attracts buyers under false pretenses. Suppose a seller advertises a sewing ma-
chine at $149. When consumers try to buy the advertised machine, the seller cannot
then refuse to sell it, downplay its features, show a faulty one, or promise unreason-
able delivery dates in order to switch the buyer to a more expensive machine.^21
To be socially responsible, advertisers must be careful not to offend ethnic groups,
racial minorities, or special-interest groups. Consider the following examples:^22
■ A Nynex spot was criticized by animal-rights activists because it showed a rabbit
colored with a blue dye.
■ A commercial for Black Flag insecticide was altered after a veterans group
protested the playing of Taps over dead bugs.
■ Ads for Calvin Klein apparel, featuring the waifish model Kate Moss, have come
under attack from Boycott Anorexic Marketing.
Some companies have begun to build ad campaigns on a platform of social re-
sponsibility:
■ Ethical Funds When people buy shares in Ethical Funds, they know that
fund managers won’t invest in corporations involved in the production of
military weapons, tobacco, nuclear power, and those with unfair employment
practices, poor environmental records, or companies that support reactionary
political regimes. A tough-talking advertising campaign for Ethical Funds
shows scenes of child labor and people dying from cancer, presumably caused
by smoking. The ad asks, “Do you know where your money goes?”
John Linthwaite, president of Vancouver-based Ethical Funds, Inc., says
its emphasis is on research. It digs deep to weed out companies that don’t^585