Puff Pieces People Bigger Products Pizza Eslpod Puffery

In "advertising" (promotions; materials that encourage people to buy one's products), companies often "overstate" (say that something is bigger or more valuable than it actually is) the "benefits" (the good things that come from having or doing something) of their products. "Lying" (not telling the truth) about a product and its benefits is against the law, but some "puffery" is allowed.

"Puffery" refers to the way in which advertisers sometimes "puff up" (inflate; make something seem bigger or more impressive than it actually is) their products by making statements that they do not expect anyone to actually believe. For example, a restaurant might advertise that it has "the best pizza in the word." A "reasonable person" (a rational, thinking, normal person) would understand that the restaurant is simply stating that it's pizza is very good-not that they have compared it against all the other types of pizza in the word. In an official statement in 1984, the Federal Trade Commission, a government agency that protects "consumers" (buyers of products or services), "clarified" (made clear) that this type of puffery is allowed.

In "journalism" (reporting; newspapers and magazines), "puff pieces" are articles or stories that "praise" (say good things about) someone or something in an "exaggerated" (made to seem bigger than something really is) way. The authors of puff pieces are "biased" (have an opinion and a desire to have other people think and believe the same way they do) and do not try to present a "balanced" (fair and equal) view of the topic. Many people feel that puff pieces are "unethical" (wrong) for journalists, especially when they receive free products and services in exchange for writing puff pieces.