20 times manufacturers tried to trick us but the internet caught ’em in the act
It is not a secret that some of the biggest companies worldwide invest a lot of money into marketing. The purpose is to make the public believe that their product is the best possible deal. There is nothing wrong with advertising here and there. We’re more than used to numerous commercials and giant billboards.
The trouble is that there’s sometimes no truth in advertising. Here are 20 excellent examples of false marketing that we’ll make you think twice about what we all buy. Yes, some of them are shamelessly obvious.
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Just for exclusive darts!
It looks like Nerf holds its position in the market thanks to various tricks like this one. To use Nerf gun, you have to be prepared to buy the Nerf items exclusively. You can’t use 3rd party darts. It’s Nerf or nothing.
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Next time, make sure that the photo and the ad say the same thing!
Look at the photo. It literally shows the man climbing. Then take a look at the ad. Those small letters warn us that the rope isn’t suitable for climbers. Is this a joke? That’s quite a severe problem. Numerous companies produce gear that looks like proper climbing gear but isn’t rated for the forces involved in climbing. Someone could get hurt.
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But, I came for the cold wifi!
Check out this hilarious sign that almost makes you think that the bar is giving out free beers. Then, you look again and see that the sign says free wifi and cold beer. We bet that the waitress loves explaining to everyone the sign is misleading.
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1+2 equals 2. Or not?
Snickers tried to make us believe that the 2in1 package really held the same amount of chocolate as two separate Snicker bars. However, the truth is a bit different. It’s not too hard to compare the chocolates and see they’ve been lying to us.
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27 is approximately 40!
The package says there are approximately 40 pepperoni pizza snack rolls in the bag. Nevertheless, who would expect that the number 27 can be considered close to 40? We’ve been doing the math wrong forever!
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What are other ingredients?
Here we have a 100% juice-jus with other ingredients. What other ingredients do you need if you’re making fruit juice? We guess we probably shouldn’t believe the part “no sugar added” either.
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100% compostable, not compostable!
The lady bought a large bag of McCafe compostable coffee pods. As it later turned out, they came individually wrapped in non-recyclable plastic. Most importantly, they are not compostable. So, are they or are they not compostable? Do we, or do we not help the environment?
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Small portion in clever disguise!
Happy Easter! After seeing this cute bunny, the first thought would be that he comes with a full bucket of sweets. Wrong! A plastic pad holds just a couple of chocolate eggs, and the rest of the bucket is empty. What a misleading toy?!
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Maybe it’s the same bottle, but made for the XL-sized men?!
The brand said that they were resizing the package. The only difference is the XL sign on the bottle, and the size stayed the same. This is definitely a new approach. Dove must have wanted to tell us that XL stands for “exactly like” the previous version. That must be it, we’ve got to read it more carefully.
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A blueberry waffle!
Someone thought that blueberry waffles are made with a single blueberry, hence the name. Well, it’s technically not wrong. It’s simply cheapskate. Imagine receiving this after ordering blueberry waffles. Interesting!
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Not so mega after all!
Take a look at how Nerf packed those darts. What a clever way to make it seem like there were many more darts in the package! Remember what we’ve previously concluded – it’s Nerf or nothing. However, the kids wouldn’t probably notice this at all.
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Copper and steel are not the same!
We present you with a knife that stays sharp forever. The only problem is that we don’t know if it is a steel or copper knife?! Maybe that’s why it’s so sharp. It’s made of a strange, unknown alloy. Well done! Great advertisement!
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Check under the label!
Check out the way Vegeta obscures the actual amount of product you’re purchasing by putting a massive label on top of the bottle. It takes the “glass half full” expression to a whole new level. Who can be optimistic when seeing such spiced-up marketing?!
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How would they know if you used it?
Imagine being in a hotel where it’s prohibited to use the electric kettle. More precisely, they’ve put the kettle on display, and the folder with rules (including the one about the kettle) is in the drawer. Let’s take a wild guess that the hotel management has a system to monitor electricity usage in every room. Otherwise, they cannot possibly know. Nevertheless, it’s a shady move to make people pay the fine for using the kettle.
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The box is only 50% full!
Take a look at the huge disappointment: buying a nice box of chocolates only to find out that there are large empty slots in the box. It’s an unfair way of tricking people who crave sweets!
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The bag is bigger!
The advert says that the green bag is actually the XL version of the Doritos chips. However, both have the same amount f chips inside. You can either buy a green or yellow one, and you’ll get 500g of chips. Let’s be fair, Doritos found a way to create 30% more waste. Nice job!
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It almost looks like in the picture. Almost!
If you’ve ever wondered about ordering “Cookies and Cream Stuffed French Toast” from iHop, this is what you get. It clearly needs some upgrading to resemble the photo, at least a little bit.
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Unlimited 35 minutes!
Why go through all the trouble of making such a huge sign if it would be completely deceiving?! The advert says you can wash as long as you want, as long as it’s not longer than 35 minutes. Are they kidding?!
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It cost $4.75!
It’s a movie-theater-sized M&M box that’s supposed to be filled with candies. However, there is just a regular bag of M&Ms packed inside. What a waste of money and packaging. This should be illegal!
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Deceptive box!
Kamila products seem to be highly deceiving. Take a look at this box of chocolates. There are so many decorations on the box, only to find out that the package is empty underneath. Is it a clever way to pack less? Yes. Is it fair? Of course not. We doubt that anyone would repurchase this chocolate. According to the person who posted this, the chocolates don’t even taste good.
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