Nice Asterisk: Truth in Advertising
What has happened to the truth in advertising standards? Simply adding a * into your ad copy should not remove your company from the responsibility of telling the truth.
The two most recent blatant lies I have seen are form Dominos and Listerine.
Dominos is currently running a $9.99 Anything goes deal which features “Any Large Pizza, Any Toppings*, Any Crust*”
I can understand the restriction on no double toppings, however advertising “Any Crust” then only offering two styles of crust for the $9.99 price. If you choose Deep Dish, and really why wouldn’t you, the price jumps another ~$1.50! Either include it, exclude it forget the *
The Listerine bottle I used this morning declared, “24 hour protection” on its label. Right next to a large 2X. The fine print informed me that it had 24 hour protection if it was used 2 times a day! Which isn’t really 24 hour protection, its 12 hour protection.
If I follow this logic,
- My Body Wash features 24 hour scent technology so long as I use it 3X a day.
- My car came with a lifetime supply of gas, so long as I fill it up each week.
Share your best Asterisks in the comments!
Josh Smith is a blogger, database manager and adjunct professor of business and technology. 
