Misleading Marketing Tactics

• Definition of misleading marketing.
• Elements of misleading marketing.
• The most common types of misleading marketing tactics.
• How do I protect myself from misleading marketing tactics?

Introduction:

Marketing has become essential in our fast-paced world, driven by technological advancements and the AI ​​revolution that has reshaped the public perception of products, services and brands.

Recent statistics show a 5% growth in global marketing spending, reaching over $1.65 trillion in 2023, which is like the GDP of South Korea.

While many companies use transparent advertising, some resort to misleading tactics to make illegal profits or manipulate, which can harm individuals and the economy, which increases the need to recognize and avoid misleading marketing tactics.

Definition of misleading marketing:

Under consumer law, marketing is considered misleading if it contains false or deceptive information, and the omission of any important information within any campaign or marketing tool also makes it misleading marketing.

Misleading marketing can be defined as "marketing a product or service that contains false or incomplete information and is also misleading if the marketing makes it difficult for consumers to understand the commitment periods or terms of purchasing a particular product or service unnecessarily.

Elements of misleading marketing:

Misleading marketing may include several elements, which help in identifying the ability to distinguish between the hundreds of marketing campaigns that are displayed daily across various means and platforms. The following are the most prominent elements of misleading marketing:

1. Misrepresenting the characteristics, quality, use, price, or origin of the product (such as marketing for trading a currency pair as a promising trading experience, even though it is a non-major currency pair, or does not enjoy momentum, or is a high-cost pair, for example).

2. Withholding or concealing essential information about a product or service in a way that affects the consumer's decision (such as marketing for trading in general without mentioning occasions or events that can make a difference in the world of trading at a specific time).

3. Presenting the product or service in a way that gives a false impression about its characteristics or use (such as marketing for trading as making a big difference in a person's life Regardless of his financial position).

4. Deliberate omission of essential matters such as side effects or negatives involved in the marketing material that should be clear proactively to the public, (such as marketing for trading without addressing the risks involved or noting them in an unclear manner).

5. Failure to disclose the terms and conditions of the service, including the right to review, question and file complaints.

The most common types of misleading marketing tactics:

Official authorities around the world are fighting the phenomenon of misleading marketing in all its forms, which represents an incentive for some fraudsters to develop their methods and tactics in implementing their misleading marketing campaigns, using various means and methods, whether on the logistical level such as various means of communication and display mechanisms, or by exploiting the psychological factor while planning and implementing any false marketing plan.

The following are the most prominent misleading marketing tactics that a trader can be exposed to specifically, and which he must be aware of in order to avoid falling victim to them and causing himself losses, whether direct or indirect, by missing out on real opportunities that he can reach through real marketing campaigns:

1. Always Bright Side Marketing:

Misleading marketing plans often focus on presenting the bright side of trading and portraying it as an easy and accessible world for everyone, and that there is no place for loss in it, or that loss can be easily compensated for without any effort.

2. Fuzzy Marketing:

Misleading marketing campaigns do not indicate the things that a real or potential trader seeks to know, whether directly by presenting them, or indirectly by noting the free means that provide this important information, such as promoting trading without referring to the costs or the way to know those costs in a free manner.

3. Value-free marketing:

Misleading marketing campaigns aim to introduce the product or service, without any real ongoing value, such as referring in marketing campaigns to reliable educational resources and means that enhance permanent relationships with traders, to help them either make the right decision or solve any problem they may encounter.

4. Marketing based on reviews:

Reviewing marketing campaigns for reviews is a good thing, and sometimes increases the recipient's confidence, but marketing campaigns based entirely on positive reviews are a common tactic that raises questions, either about why the advertiser did not review the negative reviews and respond to them, or wondering how all those positive reviews came together at once.

5. Exaggerating the visual display of success stories:

Making profits through trading is possible if the trader puts in the effort and time to research, analyze, implement, follow up, and manage risks during his trading journey. However, displaying the marketing campaign of great success stories without clarifying the full facts about those stories increases suspicions that those marketing campaigns fall within the misleading, and makes them messages that trading is a permanent means of great, quick, and risk-free wealth.

6. Displaying fake or incomplete educational content:

Some marketing agencies display unreal educational content, such as displaying trading as a very easy matter that does not require time and effort, or they market free basic courses with the aim of selling expensive educational trading courses with unrealistic promises of very high success rates or guaranteed and permanent success.

7. Ignoring the importance of risk management:

Misleading marketing is characterized by focusing on successful deals and permanent profits, without addressing the importance of risk management techniques such as stop-loss orders or portfolio diversification, with the aim of focusing on the profits they earn without caring about the losses that the trader may be exposed to as a result of neglecting risk management tools.

How do I protect myself from misleading marketing tactics?

In normal life, a person is exposed to thousands of marketing campaigns daily, which makes it difficult to distinguish between real and misleading marketing. However, due to the privacy of the trading world on the one hand, and the privacy of money and its importance to people on the other hand, each person must do some things that enable him to discover the real marketing campaign and benefit from it. The most prominent of these things are:

1. Check the reviews, especially if the marketing campaign reviews both positive and negative points of view, so that you realize that this is not a fraudulent means to extinguish the innocence of that campaign, so check the reviews and their owners and that their accounts are real if the campaign is carried out via social media specifically.

2. Consult real experts and people with previous experience.

3. Visit the party benefiting from the marketing campaign and meet with the responsible parties to make sure of what was advertised and marketed.

4. Be an informed trader, as knowledge, awareness and general culture protect you from falling victim to any misleading marketing campaign, as misleading campaigns usually exploit the lack of information from the public, and if that information is available, exposing those campaigns will make hope easier.

5. Read the terms and conditions carefully, as this reduces your exposure to misleading.

6. Look for the certificates that the marketing entity must have or the necessary licenses for the beneficiary of the marketing campaign to work officially and licensed.

Conclusion:

It has become necessary for consumers and traders to be aware of the misleading methods that may be used to achieve illegitimate gains in light of digital openness and the increase in marketing campaigns.

Despite the importance of marketing in creating opportunities, misleading tactics may harm the economy, so caution must be exercised and distinguish between real and misleading campaigns by checking reviews and consulting experts. Awareness and continuous education are the ways to protect us and ensure that marketing remains an effective and transparent tool for achieving success.