Is false advertising dead? There’s a latin saying, “Caveat Emptor,” which means “Buyer Beware.” For all of human history that rule has applied, and it applies today. If you are shopping for almost anything, you’ve got to be on guard for false advertising. If you are shopping for a home, you also have a lot of discerning to do. I was reminded of false advertising when I received a flyer boasting that 90% plus use their phone books. If they are talking about hard copy paper phone books, that was probably true 30 years ago, maybe 15 years ago, but all you have to do is a brief Google search on the subject of phone books, and you’ll see study after study indicating how few people use phone books today, and many states are allowing people to opt out so they don’t receive thick phone books that go directly into the garbage can.
Beware of False Advertising
“Nearly 70% of adults in the U.S. ‘rarely or never’ use the phone book, according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive. Instead, most of them (60%) use the Internet to find contact information, a number that’s certain to continue to rise, especially as smart phone adoption and location-based services both grow.” [Source: Study Confirms Death of Phone Book]
“A new study found the majority of American adults don’t use the phone book, don’t recycle it, don’t want it automatically delivered, and prefer to go online to find contact information.” [Source: Ending a 132 Year Tradition]
False Advertising Has Not Disappeared
Buyers of homes today are also not using phones books to find their real estate agent. Buyers are hardly using newspapers to search for homes. Over 90% of home buyers are starting their search on the Internet, and that comes from the National Association of Realtors. Print advertising has suffered terribly as the Internet has become a convenient and free source of information for consumers. Consumers are using the Internet today to research almost everything. This is also how they are searching for homes and for their next real estate agent.
The pledge of this real estate broker is absolute honesty with all clients. Period. That honesty includes all communications and information, and all the advice given to clients. It is an absolute promise–honesty in everything. This means clients will never see any false advertising from this firm. By the way, I don’t advertise in the white or yellow pages of the phone book. That’s probably no surprise since it is so ineffective in my business.
Last Updated on January 6, 2021 by Chuck Marunde
