When the Disclaimer Cancels the Rest of the Ad

A recent issue of Automotive News had a print ad for Force Events. Here’s the headline:

GET 1000 UPS* IN YOUR SHOWROOM THIS WEEKEND!

An “up,” in auto dealer lingo, is a prospect who walks onto the lot. So if a dealer hire Force Events this weekend, he’ll get a thousand customers through the door, right?

Not so fast, Chester. The asterisk takes you down to some really, really tiny print at the bottom of the ad: “Results may vary.” It could be a thousand customers. Or a hundred. Or ten.

For all I know, Force could be a terrific company. But the fine print at the bottom wipes out the promise they make at the top. And auto dealers are masters of fine print — they won’t miss it.

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