Skin cream certainly has come a long way

We’ve all gotten pretty jaded by the claims of some major Web advertisers, like those miracle-working mortgage guys for whom no fine print is too small. But this wrinkle-cream banner ad, currently in rotation on MSNBC.com, is one of the most preposterous things I’ve ever seen on a reputable site. And while I’m not going to do the advertiser the honor of linking to their home page, I will say the evidence shown there is considerably more believable than this ad, which seems to suggest you can go from looking 149 to 29 in a few short minutes. In case you’re wondering, Microsoft has a policy requiring that any banner ad on an MSN site “does not result in consumer fraud (including being false or misleading).” It also mandates that “you possess documents substantiating all claims, express and implied, contained within the advertising content.” I can’t wait to see the paperwork that shows how the librarian from Ghostbusters can become Scarlett Johansson.

—Posted by David Griner

December 3, 2007 in Griner | Permalink