Re: RC-50 video on summer NAMM

["Krispen Hartung" <khartung@cableone.net>]

Here is an interesting aritlcle on the Federal Trade Commission and lying 
in 
commericals.

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/advertising_branding/why_lying_in_your_marketing_isnt_worth_it.mspx
"Federal law flatly mandates that you must tell the truth in ads you 
create 
for products or services. Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act 
(passed in 1914 and amended in 1996) says it's illegal to deceive or 
mislead 
consumers. You cannot make fraudulent claims or insincere offers.

The FTC also specifically highlights claims that mislead by omission. If 
you 
leave out relevant information or facts, or if your advertising claim 
hints 
at results that you can not deliver, you're looking for trouble."

What smaller companies take advantage of is the gray area, where some 
degree 
of intepretation is required for "mislead" or "omission", or "relevant 
information or facts."

So, given what that chap at NAMM said about the RC-50 being the only 
stereo 
looper in the world, you have to wonder whether using that video as 
advertisement is breaking a federal law, or maybe they don't actually 
state 
that in their "official" ads, yet the guy doing the demo just added that 
piece of innacurate info. I suppose one could say that the video isn't an 
ad, so they can say whatever they want...another grey area.  Do you think 
what he said was scripted by Boss, or do you think he added it improptu?

Kris

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christophe" <cburke55@comcast.net>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 2:32 PM
Subject: Re: RC-50 video on summer NAMM


> Well, they can't flat out lie, but they don't have to tell the whole 
> truth, which they have made an art.
>
> Politicians of course can lie without consequence!
>
> Regards from Boston,
>
> Christophe
>
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: "Krispen Hartung" <khartung@cableone.net>
>
>>BTW, in the US at least,
>>it is legal for most companies to lie in their commercials about their
>>products, provided they don't have the lion's share of the marketshare. 
>>It's
>>a funny quirk of US free enterpris You can hear this in our commericals,
>>whether it is cars, processors, computers, etc. But I digress...
>
>