Links.net: Justin Hall's personal site growing & breaking down since 1994

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links.net : law :

advertising text :
size and length of time

when i am watching television and some advertisement makes bold claims, they print the caveats and conditions at the bottom in tiny type for three seconds.

this new fabulous new grepshnog is available today with low low financing forever!

(terms and conditions may apply. see authorized participating retailers for details. offer not available in alaska or hawaii. purchase of additional product may be necessary. batteries not included. don't try this at home. product may not work as demonstrated. please consult your electricity provider for compatibility details. may stain garments or fabrics. do not ingest.)

i would love to have, if only for a few years, televised advertisements required to post these conditions in large type, for long enough for the average person to read.

laws like that are a little intense to imagine - do we want to legislate the way things have to appear?

but from a consumer information standpoint, the way those messages are provided is a farce; readable only on a wall sized television by a team of speedreaders.

what would the messages say if you slowed them down? probably not much that is surprising, other information legislated on behalf of consumers. but if the advertisers actually had to provide the conditions as boldly as their hype, we might have a more balanced sense of advertising.

law | life |

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