CONSUMER GUIDE TO AVOIDING SCAMS AND SCOUNDRELS. GOING ON A DIET? YOU CAN LOSE MORE THAN JUST WEIGHT. PT 2.

When looking for supplements to help you lose weight, be aware of common words and slogans used to promote products.  In many cases they sound plausible and useful, but close inspection reveals that they are just more marketing jargon. They are often just meaningless or misleading attempts to confuse the consumer.

QUALIFYING WORDS-  How often do you hear or read the following;

- "MAY  help in the..."

- "COULD  lead to..."

-  "In CERTAIN cases..."

-   "....POSSIBLE benefits are..."

What do these often used words indicate? Absolutely nothing.  They are used to IMPLY that the product advertised does what is claimed, without providing any real evidence that such a thing is true.  This is a Tactic used by companies in the business of pushing fad diet products, where the time, effort and cost of proper clinical trials cuts into the profit margin.  It doesn't matter whether the product actually works or not: THE BOTTOM LINE IS GETTING THE TARGET CONSUMER GROUP TO ACCEPT THE CLAIMS ON FAITH ALONE.

The important thing to remember is that TERMINOLOGY is often the key to evaluating the plausibility that a product will be effective, and how trustworthy the company selling it is.  This is a grey area, but remember deceiving someone is not the same as lying to them.  You can attempt to convince a person of the value in purchasing a product by using language that points the consumer in a certain direction, without asserting anything that is True, Real or Guaranteed.  Consider the following two sentences:

  - "FAT AWAY, used twice a day, will result in the average person losing 5 pounds in the first week of use."

  - "FAT AWAY, used twice a day, can help the average person to lose 5 pounds in the first week of use."

See the difference?  The first example is an assertion of fact, which would require evidence that satisfies government regulations to be legally used in marketing campaigns.  The second makes no such claims, so it violates no regulations and can be used without penalties.             

     

Along the same line, be very careful when you hear or read that a product was proven effective by Trials or Studies.  There is a major difference between those done in a manner that satisfies legal requirements, which allows conclusions and claims to be made without sanctions by government agencies, and those that do not.

Look for PT 3.