In an age in which everyone has
information at his fingertips, advertising represents one of the strongest
channels for companies to reach out and communicate value to their audience,
growing their brands in the process. On the downside, this fast-paced nature of
modern marketing means that a mistake, purposeful or otherwise, can quickly
snowball into a serious issue. False advertising is a mistake that can harm
consumer trust, damage the reputation of the brand, and incur expensive legal
consequences. To a consumer, it is frustrating to discover that the product
does not live up to what was promised in order to try to sell him or the
product, and even to a business, an unintended mistake may provoke a backlash
or lawsuits.