Deceptive product packaging...

We’ve all seen it: Products that say “New and Improved!”  “Tastes even Better!”  “Two Scoops of Raisins!”, etc.

First, what do they mean by “new” and who says it’s “improved”?  Isn’t improving on something a subjective thing, in the eye of the beholder (or consumer, in this case)?  Tastes even better?  Says who?  Two scoops of raisins?  But I was fine with just one!  Too much of something doesn’t necessarily improve it.

Turns out there is a legal term for all that puffing up!  You guessed it, it’s called “Puffery”*.

According to several websites, “Puffery in advertising is not illegal; all companies do it, and there is no way to prove any company has lied when making such statements.”

So here is fellow blogger, Germaine’s question:

What do you think about deceptive product packaging?  

How often have you encountered it?  Does it perturb you?  Tell us about your experiences with deceptive product packaging.

(Posted by PrimalSoup for Germaine)

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*Puffery is a form of advertising in which a product or service is praised as being superior to all others like it, without any evidence to back up the claim. This is done for the sole purpose of attracting buyers that might not otherwise give the product or service any attention.