Misleading ads, chapter 38

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Gene

AT&T is promoting their Broadband TV service using this ad:

As usual, that’s a Mac in the ad. They choose Macs because they look good, of course.

Clicking on the ad gets you this:

Is it my imagination, or does that say, quite clearly, Watch TV on any broadband-connected computer?
Wow! A Mac in the ad, and “any computer”! Sign me up! But wait, what’s that at the bottom? Why does it have system requirements if it works on any broadband-connected computer?

Well, well. Everything that came before was a lie. Not only does it not run on a Mac despite the picture and the “any computer” text, it also requires a suite of specific software versions on a PC. Please note that the ad also says “No hardware or software to install.” Then they cover their claim by saying that the software is “typically pre-installed with Windows XP PCs.”

Can you imagine if NBC required a specific type of television with specific software packages in order to watch Law & Order? And if CBS had requirements different from NBC? And they only worked on one manufacturer’s television set?

And they lied about it in ads?