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Skechers Shape-ups: False Advertisement - Social Responsibility

It's working out for Kim KardashianFor an ad campaign to be considered socially responsible, the advertising used in the campaign must meet an ethical standard. Corporate social responsibility marketing has been a focus of several major ad campaigns, but if the ads used in the campaign are seen as deceptive by the public, the company is unlikely to be considered socially responsible regardless of the theme of the advertisements. These days everyone knows that you can't take advertisements at face value. Photoshop, misleading wording, deliberate omission of certain facts -- all frequent techniques that advertisers use to toe the line while they're pushing their product down your throat. In 2012 Skechers paid a $40 million settlement for its deceptive advertising for Shape-ups, Resistance Runner, Toners, and Tone-ups. They claimed that tying your shoes was the only thing needed for weight loss. 

 According to the FTC, Skechers exaggerated claims regarding the shoes' effectiveness, specifically the ability to tone your body and lose weight. Reebok shelled out $25 million for falsely advertising that its shoes guaranteed "a better butt with every step." The biggest difference between Reebok's questionable evidence and Skechers' evidence is that Skechers' came from the husband of a company executive.According to the FTC, nowhere in Dr. Steven Gautreau's, who is a chiropractor, study did he say that he was married to a Skechers exec or that the company paid him. Which is also ethically concerning, on top of the advertisements lying about how these shoes will magically get you in shape. 

 The marketing strategy for this Sketchers shoes campaign was effective because a lot of people were buying the shoes but it got a lot of backlash for falsifying medical studies and saying that just wearing the shoes will help you get in shape (which is ridiculous) which ultimately cost them a lot of money, making the ad very ineffective. However, I can see why people would want to buy the shoes, as the world was launching into a health craze at the time. It was appealing to busy moms and people who work office jobs all day because the idea of just simply wearing a pair of shoes will be beneficial to you.
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-11-worst-lies-of-skechers-shape-up-campaign-2012-5#skechers-lied-about-medical-studies-2

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