I’ve noticed that some brands are liberal with product claims, almost to the point of false advertising. I recently saw a Lenscrafters commercial where a guy was sitting a few rows behind a woman on the bus. He was laughing at a funny part in her book….because he could read the size 12 font text from where he was sitting. 

Another example is the State Farm campaign where people chant “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." An insurance agent magically appears, along with whatever else you verbally state, including hot tubs and hot girls.

Some of these ads are pretty funny, but they are also pretty misleading. After all, we live in a country where a woman spilled hot coffee on herself, sued McDonalds, and now all cups are labeled with a warning that the contents may be hot.

Some of the ads are fairly light, with people hanging around talking about insurance (because that happens all the time), and casually saying the magic phrase. Other commercials, like the one posted here, show people in a panicked situation like a car accident. If you were in danger and had great brand recall, you might expect to have a State Farm agent on site instantly.

How is this not false advertising? Do you think viewers might take the ads too literally?

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