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/