Gary Armstrong

Detecting and Correcting Deceptive Advertising

This article investigates the use of the salient belief technique for measuring deception and the effectiveness of corrective ads. The technique is applied to Listerine advertising, which has already been found deceptive by the courts. Comparisons between this technique and the normative belief technique yielded similar results except for source effects over time.

The Effects of Corrective Advertising on Company Image

Abstract Research showing inconsistent effects of corrective advertising on company image is described. Examination of four waves of national telephone surveys over the course of the Listerine corrective campaign shows a small but significant drop in company image. Suggestions for future research are offered along with policy implications of the Listerine results.

Defining and Measuring Deception in Advertising: A Review and Evaluation

Abstract This article reviews and evaluates the growing marketing literature on defining and measuring deception in advertising. It develops criteria for evaluating deception measurement techniques and applies them to methods which have been used in empirical studies. The issue of deception standards is also discussed.

The Effects of Corrective Advertising on Company and FTC Images

This article assesses the impact of corrective advertising on consumer images of the company involved and the FTC. A specially prepared FTC-source corrective ad was found to have a negative impact on company image while improving the image of the FTC. A company-source ad, however, improved company image without affecting FTC image.

A Comparsion of the Listerine Corrective Advertisement with Specially Designed Corrective Messages

There are seven empirical research studies on the Lister-ine corrective advertising campaign, the first such campaign ordered by the courts. Five of these studies were conducted in experimental settings, and the two studied the actual corrective advertising campaign in a real world environment. This paper presents the results of research which attempts to link the “experimental world” to the “real world” by comparing the effectiveness of previously tested hypothetical corrective ads with the “real” corrective ad copied from national TV.