Not to double post, but this is exactly what I mean:
THE ADS AREN'T LYING!!!!!! The models pictured cost that much. Newer models that carry different model numbers, not pictured, cost less.
Is it clear from watching the ad that MS's shill is talking about an old computer?
No. Thus, they are deceptive.
Also, the ads never mention specific pricing. They are worded in a fashion that the pricing discussion in every ad is still 100% accurate with regards to the big picture of Mac prices.
Huh? I distinctly recall seeing prices shown AND commented on in the ads. In fact, your quotes below belie your point above. They clearly mention and discuss price specifically on the Mac laptops.
I would like you to point out which of these statements is a lie in the context of the ad (which is what the FCC cares about):
"For under a thousand dollars they only have one model..."
—Lauren
"For under two grand this is the best Apple [computer]; it only has 2 Gigabytes of RAM"
—Sheila
"For a thousand dollars..." "We can't get a Mac."
—Matt and Olivia
"This mac—is two thousand dollars—and that is before adding anything"
—Lauren and Sue
#2 and #4.
The $1699 Macbook Pro has 4GB of RAM. It costs materially less than $2000 before adding anything (like ... what, exactly?)
Again, when they were filmed, they were accurate. That is not the point. The point is that they
are not accurate while they are being aired.
Think about it. You are claiming that I could film an ad today deriding HP's lineup (say, because they don't sell a laptop under $2000 which comes with 16Gb of memory), then air that ten years from now (presuming that laptops with 16GB of memory are given away in Cracker Jack boxes by that time) and it would be deemed as completely factual?
I am sorry, but the "world of the ad" is the world in which it
airs, not that in which it was filmed. If you don't want the two to collide then you need to make sure you don't include materially volatile facts (and pricing of your competitor's products is a key one) without serious disclaimers.
This is ad marketing 101 stuff here, really. Not sure why it would cause a discussion.
Ever notice the 2 half-screens of 4-point type at the bottom of every comparative car commercial? That's for this very reason (because it is needed to firmly establish the "world of the ad" which points to volatile facts). And, you might note, car models and MSRP pricing change much more rarely than laptop models.
Normally, complaints to the FCC on deceptive advertising would yield nothing but a warning letter and a window for the company (MS) to remove its ads from circulation. However, given that the COO has already proclaimed his knowledge of the inaccuracy of the ads, that window should be deemed to have already started.
Again: if you don't want MS to get away with this crap, then send a note to the FCC. There's an online form to do it, and it will take well less than two minutes to do.
