Question

The Truth about Yogurt You don't have to look far to discover that many health professionals believe in the health benefits of yogurt. Elaine Magee, writing for WebMD, notes that "our body needs to have a healthy amount of 'good' bacteria in the digestive tract, and many yogurts are made using active, good bacteria." Yogurt contains probiotics, or the good bacteria that promote healthy digestion. Yogurt also contains protein, which helps prevent osteoporosis, and vitamin D, which provides additional skeletal benefits.26 So how does a company get in trouble promoting the health benefits of yogurt? By overstating its advantages over the competition. Dannon, which produces Activia and DanActive, recently paid $45 million in a class action lawsuit to settle complaints regarding its advertising. The company's commercials suggested that the products were "clinically" and "scientifically" proven to regulate digestion and boost immune systems in campaigns featuring actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who called the yogurt "tasty." ABC News noted that “Both yogurts sell at a 30 percent premium over other brands because they claim special bacterial ingredients that the company advertised as clinically proven to help strengthen immune systems and regulate digestion."

1. How do the concepts of deception, puffery, and substantiation apply to this case?

2. Do you agree that the term “clinical studies show” is significantly different from “scientifically proven” or “clinically proven”? Should the judge have been more specific about what wording could or could not be used?

3. What ethical or moral guidelines, if any, did Dannon violate?

4. What role should advertising and marketing communications play in explaining the health benefits of basic products such as yogurt?

Answer 1

According to the case study :

1] the concepts of

• deception refers to act of making feel someone about the thing which is not true for example, claiming special bacteria ingredient present
• puffery refers to act of false appraisal. for example, yogurt strengthens immune systems
• substantiation refers to act of testifying the fact . For example, clinically or scientifically proven

in this case, these all have been done and thats too on the false basis or can be said as overstated advertisement

2] yes, the judge was very particular regarding the words which could be used and which could not be , as mentioned in the case study , judge was particular regarding the " clinically proven " to be replaced by " clinical study shows " and also particular regarding word " immune system ".

yes, the word clinical study shows is different from clinically proven because clinically proven refers to the fact that are approved and verified by the study but the clinical study shows refers to the research or trials done by the clinical study but these facts are not yet verified completely.

3]Dannon violated many advertising ethics which are truthfullness towards the customers , social responsibility towards the society and also upholding human dignity.

4] Advertising and marketing communications play vital role in explaining the health benefits of basic products such as yogurt because to reach the mass volume and attract them towards the product , advertising is the best source and also no particular details is required to be fetched person to person because of all the labels already mentioned on the products.