A survey carried out by Advertising Standards Canada “found that only 50 per cent of Canadians believe that most ads are truthful,” (1). However the same survey discovered that “only 49 per cent say [most ads are] accurate,” (1).
Because we are bombarded by advertising every day, this quantitative analysis should raise some concern for people trying to market their product/service. For advertisers need to not only convince people to buy what they’re selling, but they must also convince them of their legitimacy. However, this data should not be too concerning for companies that have a brand image that consumers trust such as Tim Hortons or Apple. Usually consumer behaviour is influenced by cultural, social or personal factors, but when firms do not appear to be legitimate their brand image is hurt. And once the image of a brand is hurt, the company is bound to take a hit (such as Nike’s involvement in sweatshops). Consequently, the value of a major firm’s stock will be likely to decrease. In order to thrive, legitimacy in ads is a necessity.