Ivan L. Preston, recognized as a preeminent scholar of the legal dimensions of American advertising, has written The Tangled Web They Weave for the ordinary consumer as well as for advertisers and trade regulators. His frank aim is to demonstrate how advertising can better serve its audience. Advertising, Preston points out, is full of falsity that is quite legal. Indeed, clever presentation of lies can make advertising entertaining to consumers, and Preston provides lively examples and anecdotes of such cases. The problem with falsity in advertising, he argues, is not so much with the bald lie as it is with deception. It is in this thicket of implied claims that he shows us the dangers and the need for regulatory adjustment. Preston takes us down the slippery slope, from the high ground of honest product claims to the unscrupulous bottom-of-the-barrel claims that are wholly false. Along the way he documents the subtle misrepresentations, half and lesser truths, and exploitations of our gullibility that abound in contemporary advertising. The cases he describes are sometimes comic and sometimes shocking and infuriating. Preston's agenda is not merely to cry Foul! He sees advertising as performing not only a legitimate but an important public service. It is in all our interests, therefore, to perfect and not just pillory. As he concludes, "It is the time to see a way to serve society by creating a standard of personal and corporate credibility under which all advertisers, regulators, and consumers should want to live."
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
False or misleading claims in advertisements can be perfectly legal, says Preston in this instructive critique of deceptive ads. Using ad campaigns for such products as Sunoco gasoline, Kraft cheese and the major headache remedies, he meticulously dismantles advertisers' arsenal of dirty tricks: implied but spurious claims, "minimal facts" promoted as significant, puffery, infomercials disguised as news programs, and empty "nonfacts" vaunting a brand's superiority over all others. President of the American Academy of Advertising, Preston teaches advertising law at the University of Wisconsin and has testified in Federal Trade Commission cases on advertising fraud. Here he sets forth an expanded legal definition of falsity that regulators should consider, advances proposals aimed at advertisers remiss in ethics and honesty, and advises consumers about their recourses. A potent handbook for consumers awash in misinformation.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A powerful analysis of what's wrong with advertising, how regulation sanctions deception, and what reforms are necessary. Advocates, educators, and regulators will find the book both provocative and useful."-Stephen Brobeck, Executive Director, Consumer Federation of America -- Stephen Brobeck, Executive Director, Consumer Federation of America
"A thoughtful, lively, and provocative book, asking for the best in advertising while advising consumers how to avoid the worst."-Andrew J. Strenio, Jr., former Federal Trade Commissioner -- Andrew J. Strenio, Jr., former Federal Trade Commissioner
"Preston discusses the tools of the advertising trade and what the law will and will not allow, citing several memorable cases, involving Sears, Volvo, and Heileman Brewing and its PowerMaster malt liquor, among others. . . . So what's a little, or maybe more than a little, deception, or image building, in love and competition? Everybody, or almost everybody, does it. And consumers don't really believe all they see and hear, anyway. Preston begs to differ, and he does so strongly and effectively."-Chuck Hutchcraft, Chicago Tribune -- Chuck Hutchcraft, Chicago Tribune
"A thoughtful, lively, and provocative book, asking for the best in advertising while advising consumers how to avoid the worst."-Andrew J. Strenio, Jr., former Federal Trade Commissioner -- Andrew J. Strenio, Jr., former Federal Trade Commissioner
"Preston discusses the tools of the advertising trade and what the law will and will not allow, citing several memorable cases, involving Sears, Volvo, and Heileman Brewing and its PowerMaster malt liquor, among others. . . . So what's a little, or maybe more than a little, deception, or image building, in love and competition? Everybody, or almost everybody, does it. And consumers don't really believe all they see and hear, anyway. Preston begs to differ, and he does so strongly and effectively."-Chuck Hutchcraft, Chicago Tribune -- Chuck Hutchcraft, Chicago Tribune
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet.
|
|||
|
Video reviews
|
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
