Google's Moral Obligation To Newspapers: Help Both Sides Be Better Off

What's Wrong With Putting A Fake Ad In A Newspaper?

from the people-are-too-sensitive dept

Wed, Jun 11th 2008 10:32pm — Mike Masnick

Last week, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News (both owned by the same media company) ran full page ads for a "new" airline called Derrie-Air that had a unique selling point: pay what you weigh. Different routes had different prices that were all per pound. The idea was that the lighter you (and your luggage) were, the less you would have to pay. The only thing is that the airline doesn't actually exist (which I assume anyone with a very slight knowledge of the French language could probably figure out from the name of the airline).

So why did the newspapers do this? It was actually as a test, to see how well advertisements in the paper could drive people to a website. The whole thing sounds like a good (and funny) way to test that out. But, of course, any time you trick some people, someone's going to get upset -- and that's exactly what's happening. Suddenly people are charging the company with some sort of ethical lapse for not making it clear the ad was fake. Of course, if they did that, the whole purpose of the ad would have been lost.

Plus, it's difficult to see what the "harm" is. If a few people thought it was real, they would quickly be disabused of that notion, with no harm done. The people complaining that this would somehow make people trust the news in the paper less apparently haven't been paying attention to the various reporting scandals over the past few years. People have plenty of reasons not to trust the news that they read. Seeing a fake (and mildly amusing) ad in a paper isn't going to make them trust the newspapers any less.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: derrie-air, ethics, fake ad, philadelphia
Companies: philadelphia daily news, philadelphia inquirer

46 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Brandon, 11 Jun 2008 @ 11:57pm

How's it different from TV?
I don't see how this is different from ABC's Lost "commercials" about the different organizations (Oceanic Air, the Dharma guy that always appears on the films, etc) pertaining to the show.

If the website tried to sell them something, collect information or collect money, then I'd have issue with it... otherwise, it's just impression-gathering.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kurien, 12 Jun 2008 @ 12:11am

Crux of the matter ...
Nothing wrong with the ad. If the test was how an ad drives hits to the home page, the disclaimer on that derrie air ad was just an experiment should have been the first line on the web page ... rather than the last one. In this case, the newspaper has to be held responsible for their action as this is tending more towards a trick than an experiment ... because the experiment ends as soon as I visit the page.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2008 @ 6:30am
  
  Re: Crux of the matter ...
  enough is enough guys, come on.
  
  gow up ya friggin babies, its a joke, it wasn't a reporter, it wasnt a story, it was a paid for advert, show shut the %$*^ up.
  
  country's full of whiners no wonder we have jackasses in office, no one has the balls or intelligence to say enough is enough.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Homer J, 12 Jun 2008 @ 12:12am

I can trust adverts new?
Hey they're right. Now I can't trust adverts to be truthful and honest and only sell me things I need. Damn you Philadelphia Daily News - you've underminded the integrity of an honorable institution.

At least I can still trust e-mail.

(Gotta go, I need to write to a Nigerian friend who can make me rich, rich, rich...!)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Nigerian Friend, formerly Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2008 @ 1:32am

I see no reason for people becoming angry because of that ad. Some many times, "real" companies advertise products and services that they do not have. How many times have we had to buy products and read after opening (despite the warning: opening means you cant return) to find the initial warning we should have seen. :(
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Brian, 12 Jun 2008 @ 2:12am

Why in the world would anyone who actually fell for this let everyone else know what an idiot they are by complaining about it? Seriously. I chuckled at it the instant I read the name of the airline.

Anyway, to be on the constructive side of things, it seems like a poor ad to place if you wanted to test the productivity of an ad. Were this actually real, it would generate more interest due to controversial factors than it would if it were more like your standard advertisement. (Unless that's what they were going for, I guess.)

Who knows.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Tamara Denshire, 12 Jun 2008 @ 2:42am

There was a similar incident in Australia, however the fake ad was placed on April Fools Day and it was for a real company(and placed by the company). It was an airline company introducing "Standing Room Only" tickets that were half price and also selling tickets for people to sit on the wing for a greatly discounted rate. Of course there were a few idiots who thought that was real and had a big cry about false advertising.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Seat of Your Pants, 12 Jun 2008 @ 3:09am

Fly
This really didn't prove anything about using print ads to drive traffic on web pages. I need to give a thumb up to Brian's remark, "Why in the world would anyone who actually fell for this let everyone else know what an idiot they are by complaining about it?"
It is a humorous introduction to a timely topic. The controversy should not be "Newspapers shouldn't be fooling me." The discussion should be "I'm not paying for the extra fuel airlines use to fly my fat ass around the world."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
SteveD, 12 Jun 2008 @ 3:54am

Fraud?
Arn't there various trade laws against fradulent advertising?

I'm sure there are relevent rules for the manner in which you conduct public surveys too.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Chronno S. Trigger, 12 Jun 2008 @ 5:13am
  
  Re: Fraud?
  If that were true, half the crap on TV would be gone and so would most of the Internet.
  
  If I saw this article I would have gone to the website just to see if it was real.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- dorpass, 12 Jun 2008 @ 9:54am
  
  Re: Fraud?
  Arn't there various trade laws against fradulent advertising?
  
  I'm sure there are relevent rules for the manner in which you conduct public surveys too.
  
  Yes, SteveD, there are rules for everything. There are even rules for how you should sit on a toilet and you probably have been breaking them forever. There might be a warrant in your name for that offense.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Shohat, 12 Jun 2008 @ 4:10am

Americans.
I am sure someone will find some reason to sue.
"I went on a starvation diet to be able to afford the trip !".
Dumbasses. I hear people even get sued for criminal stuff like rape/fraud etc...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Jack DerrieAir, 12 Jun 2008 @ 4:19am
  
  Re: Americans.
  Hello, my name is Jack DerrieAir.
  You tricked me, prepare to be sued.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Tom G., 12 Jun 2008 @ 5:09am

OK - What were the results of the test?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Crispin, 12 Jun 2008 @ 5:10am

Plummet Mall
This reminds me of the 1985 Plummet Mall radio ads in Cincinnati. A station ran ads for most of the summer for the world's first underground mall. They abruptly stopped when "seismological activity" shifted the construction and the mall was "lost." The ads were strange in the first place but the explanation for stoppage was even weirder. A lot of people assumed it was some social experiment in radio ads.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
John Duncan Yoyo, 12 Jun 2008 @ 5:53am

The Inky has always had a peculiar sense of humor with reguards to advertising it's advertising department.

I remember a full page ad which wanted to know where 14th street had disappeared to. If you don't know Philadelphia the number streets run from east to west with one major exception the 14th street is called Broad Street.

Anyone thin skinned enough to sue over being fooled is a fool to remember. It probably helps to have this class of people self-identify themselves so they can be watched and kept from hurting themselves and others.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2008 @ 6:08am

what's happened?
What's happened to having a little fun in life ?

GET A LIFE !
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Overcast, 12 Jun 2008 @ 6:10am

People are such babies anymore, waaaaa... cry me a river.

It did seem like an innovate and original test that could give just the results they are looking for.

"It is clearly deception," said Bob Steele, the Nelson Poynter Scholar for Journalism Values at The Poynter Institute. "Newspapers should not be in the business of deception. I can’t imagine the Inquirer and Daily News would run fake ads from other companies."

It wasn't deception you freakin' idiot - it was creative advertising with a twist of satire. Deception would run the full route, perhaps even trying to defraud someone.

So I went to the web page of his organization.

http://www.poynter.org/

On there - there is a picture of a Pyramid and the Sphinx upside down - I'm suing!!!! I was deceived into thinking they really are upside down!!!!!! That's OUTRIGHT deception!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2008 @ 6:26am
  
  Re:
  That's fine. Just remember that it's not deception the next time you get a pop-up ad that's made to look like a dialog box.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2008 @ 6:33am
    
    Re: Re:
    dude, if youre foolish enough to blindly sign in or click on a page that you didnt instigate, you frigging deserve to have your computer melted and sold as scrap.
    
    stop crying about people tricking you into doing something and express the 10 seconds of thought it would take to STOP doing stupid assenine things, then crying to a psudo mommy about it.
    
    GROW THE HELL UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS YOU DOLT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Always Broke, 12 Jun 2008 @ 6:17am

False Advertising is, well..... FALSE
I went looking for ways to make money from home, and found a website that says it will pay you money for your soul! After chuckling, I proceeded to see just how far this website would take me. It ends with a comment to the effect of "Did you really think we were going to pay you?" http://www.wewantyoursoul.com/
Just goes to show you that you cant believe everything you hear or see.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2008 @ 6:36am

We've grown into a nation of pansies.

NO one thinks of what they are doing anymore
NO one takes responsibilities for those thoughtless actions
NO one wants to make things right...

NO wonder we're the laughing stock of the world. We have so much going for us, but we keep shooting ourselves in the foot.

tired of it, lets take our country back, write in "None of the Above" on the next ballot.

REVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- anne, 12 Jun 2008 @ 7:27pm
  
  Re:
  I say amen to your words of truth.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2008 @ 6:41am

Ha, I laughed when I read about that ad.
It also reminded of Lard Ashe jeans.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
David, 12 Jun 2008 @ 7:09am

stupid people
One thing I have learned after working in the theme park industry is that people are stupid. I used to work at the Jurassic Park Ride at Universal and we actually had a guest, a woman in her 40's, believe the dinosaurs were real. She took pictures of it and showed her friends and after they called her an idiot for believing they were real she complained to Universal. We actually got a verbal warning for convincing her they were real. Even though part of our jobs was to pretend the dinosaurs were real, we apparently did it too well. People will believe everything, and you will always have someone dumb enough to believe it and then complain that they fell for it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Brian, 12 Jun 2008 @ 7:05pm
  
  Re: stupid people
  "One thing I have learned after working in the theme park industry is that people are stupid. I used to work at the Jurassic Park Ride at Universal and we actually had a guest, a woman in her 40's, believe the dinosaurs were real. She took pictures of it and showed her friends and after they called her an idiot for believing they were real she complained to Universal." -David
  
  Wait, wait, wait. She thought the dinosaurs were real and still stopped to take pictures when there is little to block (certainly not enough to stop a real dinosaur) the animals from reaching her?
  
  Someone go tell her that buses are imaginary and that they will pass right through her if she just ignores them.
  
  "Hee. Look at the giant T-Rex with the giant carnivorous teeth less than 10 ft. away from me. Isn't he just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?"
  
  Even if your story is made-up, I wouldn't put it past a few people I've met in my lifetime. It's seriously not that hard to imagine as I sit here at my local Starbucks watching nearly every person pull on the door that says "Push" in huge friggin letters. Some of them try two or three times before pushing, too. It's frustrating, yet amusing at the same time to watch.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Bryan Campbell, 12 Jun 2008 @ 7:26am

What about Dunder Mifflin
If Derrie-Air caused this kind of furor then what about the http://www.dundermifflininfinity.com/ site. This popped up in a Google ad on my gmail account and it sounded so strange that I clicked on the link, it took me about 20 minutes of searching to discover this was put together by NBC for its series the Office (I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the fact that Michael works for Dunder Mifflin). Apparently, Dunder Mifflin is an official member of the Scranton Chamber of Commerce (http://www.officetally.com/dunder-mifflin-banner-scranton). Note there are no 'notices' or 'warnings' that this is a fictional company.

Another interesting dimension of this is that the media itself believed it. I saw a number of media channels carrying this story yesterday. So much for the thorough investigative reporting of our favorite news providers!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Chronno S. Trigger, 12 Jun 2008 @ 10:41am
  
  Re: What about Dunder Mifflin
  There was a website Http://www.glamguns.com (dead?) that was selling a hello kitty AK-47. Nowhere on the site did it say that it was fake. The only indication (asides from the absolute absurdity of a hello kitty AK-47) was when you went to buy one it forwarded you to a book on Amazon about satire.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
David, 12 Jun 2008 @ 7:41am

Not sure if their numbers are accurate
The thing is, they created a pretty spiffy tongue-in-cheek site that was passed around widely on the Internet. I know I personally saw it, and was responsible for sending it to 4 or 5 of my friends. None of whom live in Philly or even anywhere near it. I didn't even know that an ad for the site ran in the paper.

I just hope they take their own numbers with a grain of salt.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2008 @ 8:29am

While I question the wisdom of publishing such a fake advertisement, I would have to say that as long as there is no scamming or phishing or any such illegal or questionable activity taking place, then there's no harm done, and people need to stop being so touchy about these things. For cryin' out loud, it's as if there's no greater crime on earth than having your feelings get hurt. Believe me, there are plenty of things in this world that "offend" me, but as long as they aren't actually harming me in any way, I usually try to leave well enough alone. I see this site as nothing more than a practical joke, or perhaps even a research project of some sort (or both). Again, as long as no scamming is taking place, there's nothing illegal here, so get over it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
some random guy, 12 Jun 2008 @ 8:55am

the sad thing is...
it's the first scheme for airline pricing I've heard that sounds sane: cost is proportional to mass times distance traveled.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hulser, 12 Jun 2008 @ 10:37am

Wrong vs. good business practice
While it may not be morally wrong for a newspaper to host a fake ad, what about the impact on its own business? Specifically, if you are a company looking to advertise, would you want to pay for a spot in a newspaper that is known for "faking out" its readers? If I was running an ad compaign that was a little off-the-wall (but still real), I don't think I'd want to risk there being any confusion in the readers' minds as to whether or not my ad was some kind of prank or research item.

It's a bit like crying wolf. A newspaper hosts fake ads to the point where someone buys a real ad and the reaction from the readers is "Oh, that must be fake. I'm not even going to bother visiting that web site." Remember, "Today's satire is tomorrow's normal." Just wait until gas prices are even more insane and some airline actually does start charging by the pound. Then ads like this won't seem so silly.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Joe Mullin, 12 Jun 2008 @ 11:03am

Bad idea
I agree with Hulser that the issue isn't so much ethics as just a foolish idea from a business perspective.

If I were a reporter at the paper behind this stunt I would be upset! I'd feel like I'm being undermined by my own boss. The potential damage is to the newspaper's reputation and the trust of readers. If a newspaper is willing to create a fake ad and say "just kidding!" in fine print, you have to wonder if the next "experiment" will be: "What happens when we write a fake story?"

The problem isn't harm to consumers; the problem is the newspaper harming itself. Newspapers are in the fact-verification business; their marketing departments need to be cognizant of that.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous, 12 Jun 2008 @ 12:09pm

It is b/c the US is a nation of idiots. You know the US will resemble the movie Idiocracy in the near future.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
r. decline, 12 Jun 2008 @ 12:13pm

This was not funny or cute!
I seriously needed to fly to LA to visit a sick relative but my funds are very limited. When I saw this ad I realized that by simply shedding a few pounds I could afford it so I called my relatives and told them I would be on my way soon. Imagine the horror and pain I felt when I realized this company was fake! And now my relative has passed away and I was unable to be there to say goodbye and all because of this "funny" ad. If it had not been for that ad I would have borrowed the money from somewhere, maybe from my dealer he is ok with loaning me a few dollars every now and then. This was just wrong and I hope they suffer in under the full weight of our legal system!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
ConceptJunkie (profile), 12 Jun 2008 @ 1:04pm

Well, at least you can't say...
They're just a bunch of fat, stupid Americans.

Skinny and stupid, sure.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
another mike, 12 Jun 2008 @ 2:09pm

punk'd
You're whining because you got caught up in a great prank?! You must be a real hoot around April 1st.
But it's also a great idea for a new airline. Maybe they can also charge by the cubic inch for overhead bin space. That'll keep those idiots from cramming their oversized rolling luggage into the overhead bin space.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Gluteus Maximus, 12 Jun 2008 @ 2:16pm

Good thing these whining crybabies never saw the old manbeef.com site (don't bother looking now, it's long gone). Funny, from the responses above you can tell who the suckers were who believed the ad was real...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
rubberman, 12 Jun 2008 @ 3:16pm

The Maroons are taking over!
I suppose these (those that complained about this adv) idiots also take The Onion seriously as a news source...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
so and so, 12 Jun 2008 @ 3:26pm

Seriously, they didn't try to swindle money ,phish information from anyone, or create any mass hysteria (War of the Worlds anyone?); what is the problem here?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
ROBERT OLNEY, 12 Jun 2008 @ 4:03pm

FAKE AIRLINE
JUST ONE MORE REASON NOT TO TRUST WHAT NEWSPAPERS PUBLISH.
MOST OF THE TIME THEY DO NOT HAVE ALL THE FACTS CORRECT AS IT IS. NEVER BELIEVE ENTIRELY WHAT ANY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHES!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kevin Combs, 13 Jun 2008 @ 9:26am

BUT DID IT WORK?
and... really? Those dinosaurs aren't real? dang.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
David, 23 Jul 2008 @ 5:39am

So this forum is basically dead but yeah that story I told about Jurassic Park was real. We were shocked, to say the least, that someone could be that stupid. She was apparently on the ride when she took the pictures. I can only imagine, if I believed the ride was real, how scared I would be of raptors jumping out at me near the end, never mind a 30 foot tall t-rex...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Happy Valentines Day Images 2019, 10 Feb 2019 @ 9:45pm

Wow, fantastic weblog structure! How lengthy have yyou ever been running a blog for? you make running a blog glance easy. The overall look of your web sire is excellent, let alone the content material!

https://happyvalentineday-images.com/happy-valentines-day-images/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Happy Valentines Day Quotes 2019, 10 Feb 2019 @ 9:58pm

Normally I do not read post on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thank you, very nice article.

https://happyvalentineday-images.com/happy-kiss-day-images/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Happy Hug Day Images And Quotes 2019, 10 Feb 2019 @ 10:00pm

Whats up very cool site!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally? I’m happy to seek out numerous useful info here within the submit, we’d like work out extra strategies on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .

https://happyvalentineday-images.com/happy-hug-day-images/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]