State Farm’s Insurance Against Magazine Royalties

This is just a harmless ad from State Farm with their new pitch man standing in front of some magazines:

Take a second look at the magazines in the background:

None of them are real and are in fact very similar to actual magazines. I am sure State Farm would have to pay some sort of royalties to these publications, just for a background shot. Therefore, some poor sap had to go through and edit each of these magazines either on paper on the set or less likely in the editing suite in post production. It turns into a Where’s Waldo version of spot the faked magazine. Above his right shoulder is an edited Sports Illustrated as well as fake titles “Gun Ho,” “Woman” and “Mountains.” Then they got lazy above his head by just covering up Car and Driver and Road and Track with a blank white magazine. I sure hope they pass the savings on to my policy.

No TV's were harmed in this Bud Light Ad

Bud Light is usually focuses on humorous commercials with punchlines and physical comedy, but the best part of this ad was the fine print which is not even needed:

Drinking beer is not that complicated, so the fine print should have stood out:

Thanks for the funny warning, Budweiser, but it is not even needed. Now, if animals were involved or harmed then they would need the disclaimer for the American Humane Association. The rules and regulations for the disclaimer are actually quite extensive according to this news clip. Where’s the disclaimer in this Bud Light ad? I’d be more concerned if actual TV’s were harmed.

Prilosec’s Relief from Phony Athlete Spokesmen

Here is a medical ad with the atypical fine print:

Unlike the usual medical fine print about side effects that may include blindness, loss of limbs, or possible death, this one is a little different:

It’s pretty cool to have an actual customer be the spokesperson instead of an actor. The classic example of debunking this misleading tactic was the “I’m not only the president, but a client” ad for hair pieces back in the day. The only time you see a disclaimer about the spokesmen nowadays is if the person is giving a “personal” account or pretending to be an “expert” as in this Sharp TV Ad. Since the company would include the disclaimer themselves fearing a lawsuit, the FTC regulation on this disclaimer is murky, and would usually only step in if the viewing public’s safety was at risk over false claims. Therefore Prilosec and David Diehl are safe from any heartburn sufferers who feel they have been lead on. While athletes shilling products they may or may not use is nothing new, how about when they are hocking medicine? Where are the disclaimers when Shaq uses Icy Hot, Nolan Ryan pops some Advil, Troy Polamalu grows thicker hair from Head & Shoulders, or bears try to talk to Ray Lewis since he’s wearing Old Spice. Ugh, I have a closet full of Old Spice and Heads and Shoulders for nothing? Maybe that is why they had to add the disclaimer after Brett Favre pitched Prilosec years earlier.

Super Movies for DirecTV's Superhero Ad?

The latest installment is not so much a fine print of text, but small visuals. Witness this commercial from DirecTV:

What cool new movies was the superhero choosing from?

“Men in Black”? “Devils Own”? They are trying to display their capabilities versus Netflix and Blockbuster by showing movie posters from 14 ago? Granted “Alice in Wonderland”, “Bounty Hunter”, and “Brooklyn’s Finest” are more recent, but the superhero might have “School Daze” and “Look Who’s Talking Too” on Beta collecting dust in his lair. They even state in the fine print that the screen images are simulated. If they are faking it to show the titles, couldn’t they use good recent movies? Bonus points if you can name the first three movies.

Strongest Post-It Note Ever

Check out the cute kid using the Post-It Note:

Obviously, the sticky note cannot do that, hence the fine print:

3M actually has to note this in order to prevent being sued for false advertising or fined by the Federal Trade Commission. You would think that it is just common sense that a kid cannot be held up by a post-it note, but I am sure there are people working in the legal department at 3M and the FTC dedicated to those six words.

Thanks to reader Erryn Gallasch for the idea submission.