I think most of us would agree that it would be ideal if advertising was not deceptive, but many companies take advantage of certain pre-conceived notions to try and get us to buy their products. For example, a toothpaste company may have a commercial take place in a dentist’s office with an actor playing the role of a dentist, complete with a white lab coat, so that we are given the impression of authority and sound advice. Even so, we know that this is a paid commercial.

One series of television commercials that have been bothering me lately are those by Brand Power. They say that they are “helping you buy better” by highlighting certain products and why we should consider buying them. Based on the presentation of these commercials, we are given the impression that Brand Power is an unbiased third party who is simply reviewing or featuring a particular product. We assume that they are not associated directly with the manufacturer, just like when you read a CNET review of a laptop, for example.

However, the relationship between Brand Power and the companies that they feature is not quite so objective. These are paid endorsements that are posing under the guise of an objective and unbiased recommendation. Enough people will assume that the recommendation of Brand Power holds a fair amount of weight and they may go out and make the purchase based on this recommendation.

I’m not saying that the highlighted products are inferior or of poor quality, but they are being misrepresented. How do you feel about these kinds of commercials? Do you find that they are overly deceiving or are they fair game?