I found this ad for American Eagle Outfitters. (Please
watch) http://creativity-online.com/work/american-eagle-outfitters-skinny-skinny-jeans/31047
It is an ad for skinny jeans. At the end of the video there is a link to the
AEO website. When you try to purchase these jeans, a pop up informs you they
are out of stock and if you give them your email they will let you know when
they are back in stock.
This has probably generated a lot of traffic to their web site and perhaps even some purchases of products that are “in stock”, which is their intent. But is this type of ad fair to consumers? Does it cross any ethical or legal boundaries?
I do not believe that this type of ad is unfair to consumers, because not every company will be able to keep up with product demands, which shouldn't mean that they have to take down their advertisements as soon as they run out of product. It does however cross ethical and legal boundaries if the company places an advertisement with the intent of getting the customer to purchase other products, when they know that they are out of stock of the advertised item. There is a rough boundary between whether or not it is ethical to still advertise for items that are no longer in stock.
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