ABSTRACT

The marketplace is a breeding ground for deception. Consumers expect marketers to exaggerate, if not outright lie, in their advertisements (Friestad and Wright 1994). Even if the facts are correct in an advertisement or on a package, the models have been photoshopped to be younger, thinner, and flawless (Kee and Farid 2011), reality has been augmented (grass greener, water bluer, streets cleaner), and the faults or potential issues the consumer should expect to be told about a product or service have been omitted (Conotter, Dang-Nguyen, Boato, Menéndez, and Larson 2014). Even when the truth is revealed in the fine print, it may be so tedious to read, even motivated consumers give up (Bakos, Marotta-Wurgler, and Trossen 2014). Not only do advertisers mislead, but salespeople tell omission lies by concealing information when pushing and promoting the products that provide them a better sales bonus (Hsu, Fang, and Lee 2009). Furthermore, consumers are unknowingly sold counterfeit, or fake, products believing them to be authentic, particularly in an online market setting (Mintz 2002; Mavlanova, Benbunan-Fich, and Kumar 2008).