Advertising Resources and Topic Ideas

What products use the most advertising?  Why?
Some products have clear and concrete distinguishing features.
Many products do not.  

Brand licensing is a scary technique.

The reasonable person standard is a scary legal principle.
An example of the standard is the Pepsi Harrier Jet Case.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdackF2H7Qc
Vitamin Water Health Claims

Words used in tricky advertising
"Up to"   "Like"   "Helps"   "As if"
http://the-print-guide.blogspot.com/2012/05/marketing-101-weasel-words.html

The Language of Advertising Claims
http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/comp/ad-claims.html

Five Outrageous Lies Companies are Legally Allowed to Tell You
http://www.cracked.com/article_19485_5-outrageous-lies-companies-are-legally-allowed-to-tell-you.html

Products that Advertisers Pretend are Complicated
http://www.cracked.com/article_20189_6-simple-products-that-advertisers-pretend-are-complicated.html

Advertising Words
http://www.advertisingwords.com/

Food Advertising Tricks
http://www.coachcalorie.com/food-advertising-tricks/

Clio Awards-  These are the yearly awards for the best advertising
http://www.clioawards.com/

Adweek- A Magazine for Insiders in the Advertising Industry
http://www.adweek.com/

Adbusters- A Magazine For People Concerned with the Effects of Advertising
https://www.adbusters.org/

Truth in Advertising.Org-  A Great Site With Descriptions of Deceptive Advertising Practices.  It also lists current ads which seem deceptive.

FTC.gov-  This is the government organization which protects America from deceptive advertising and unfair business practices.   (If you have done business with a company that has deceptive practices, this is where you can register a complaint.)

Better Business Bureau-  This is an organization which collects consumer information about businesses.   If an ad seems too good to be true, this is an excellent resource.   Check the company's reputation before believing a company's claim.    


Online Resources for Comparing and Contrasting Two Ads
http://brainstorm-services.com/dccc-comp1/comparison-contrast.html


How To Spot Fake Online Product Reviews
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57554335-285/how-to-spot-fake-user-reviews-while-shopping-online/

Sockpuppet Accounts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sockpuppet_(Internet)
Walt Whitman did it!   Anthony Burgess did it!

Fictitious Online Reviewers-   David Manning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Manning_(fictitious_writer)



Honestslogans.com




Four Reasons to Forgive Yourself for Being a Bad Speller
http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-reasons-to-forgive-yourself-being-bad-speller/

Bizarre History of 10 Common Sayings
http://www.cracked.com/article_16108_the-bizarre-history-10-common-sayings.html

7 Commonly Corrected Grammar Errors (which are not mistakes)
http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-commonly-corrected-grammar-errors-that-arent-mistakes/

if a corp was a person
it would never tip
it would always take a penny and never leave one
if it found your wallet, it would keep it, and feel no guilt
it would cheat on its girlfriend
it would lie without remorse
it would never ever let a car merge in traffic
it would not give on its seat on the subway to an old lady, even if it was your grandma, even if it was it's own grandma.
It would root for the yankees
It would be very concerned with it's reputation
It would feel no remorse for any wrongdoing.
It would feel remorse for being caught.



It would never eat.
It would never drink.
It would never sleep.
It would never have sex.