As grownups, we pretty much all know that what ads say isn’t always the precise truth. They always put the products in the best possible light.

Kids don’t think that way, of course. Just look at how many struggle with the idea that cartoons aren’t real. Think there’s any chance that they understand yet that commercials aren’t 100% true?

You’re going to have to teach them.

There’s nothing like having a preschooler point out inaccuracies in advertising.

This can be done starting at a pretty early age, and it’s a lot of fun once you start seeing results. There’s nothing like having a preschooler point out inaccuracies in advertising.

Explain Advertising to Them

Start out by explaining what ads are to them, and why companies advertise. It really helps if they understand why they’re seeing ads.

Use individual ads as examples. When the kids are really enthusiastic about a product ad they’ve just seen, ask them why. See if they understand how the ad gained their interest. Talk about how the ads are making them feel and whether the actual item will make them feel that way. Ask if they really think the product will do exactly as claimed. Ask if similar products can probably do the exact same thing.

This is easiest with toys, and can be very effective if they happen to have a few toys that they had seen advertised and were then disappointed in, or if the toy quickly lost their interest. Go over how the toy was advertised, and compare it to the real thing. You can also compare it to toys your kids already own.

Build Their Language Skills

You know how devious promotional language can be. It’s usually true, but a truth stretched as far as the advertisers dared, and then exaggerated. Helping your kids to spot how this is done is not only good for their ability to understand advertising, it’s great for their vocabulary.

Don’t be surprised if the kids start to treat advertising as lying. It’s a pretty natural step. You can decide how to explain the difference between lying and what most ads do.

Be Aware of Product Placements

It’s not just ads during the commercial breaks you need to discuss. It’s the placement of products within the shows themselves.

It’s not just ads during the commercial breaks you need to discuss.

This isn’t much of a problem during most cartoons, except in the sense that an awful lot of cartoons are all about selling the toys. But in other kinds of shows, you’ll see strategically placed and used products throughout the show.

Talk about why their favorite characters are drinking a particular soda. Talk about the other brands that are clearly shown on camera. Explain that this is also a form of advertising, and the preferences shown on television have little to nothing to do with real life.

Discuss Alternatives

It’s helpful to remind kids that they don’t need everything they see advertised on television. There are a lot of better choices for them out there.

It’s helpful to remind kids that they don’t need everything they see advertised on television.

It could be something you already own. It could be a similar product you already prefer. It could be a discussion on why you don’t need everything you see advertised. It could be a discussion on the cost of the product and why you don’t need to spend the money.

Ads try to make it seem so much like everything is needed, so teaching your kids that they don’t need it all is important.

Have Them Make Their Own Live “Ads”

Once the kids are starting to understand advertising, have them try making up their own, right in front of you. Give them something simple and tell them to sell it to you, any way they can.

This encourages them to think about what goes into an ad and product claims. With most kids, it’s also pretty funny, as they’re great at coming up with wild ideas.

I was visiting family in San Diego this weekend. Fun trip, lots to do. But on the drive over, I noticed a billboard for Barona Casino, advertising it as the “San Diego’s luckiest casino.”

I just had to laugh. I told my husband that I don’t want to go to a casino that’s lucky. I want to go to one where I’ll be lucky. The casino already has house odds in its favor; it doesn’t need luck.

I know what they meant. That doesn’t mean I had to read it that way.

That’s something important to consider in your own advertising. You can say something, but readers or viewers may not interpret it the way you meant them to. And that’s a bad thing for your business much of the time.

Punctuation Saves Lives

It’s not just poor phrasing that can get you into trouble. Misplaced and missing punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence. Just compare “Let’s eat Grandma” with “Let’s eat, Grandma.” Which one is Grandma going to be happy about and which will send her running for the door?

Pronoun Trouble

Just who are you referring to in your advertising? Is it always clear?

While your visitors probably won’t suffer Daffy Duck’s fate due to pronoun trouble, no one likes getting mixed up about who or what you’re referring to in your writing.

This is where the casino ad slipped up just a little. I know they meant to imply that *I* could be lucky in their casino, but the ad as written could be interpreted as the casino itself having all the luck. Who wants that?

The trouble is that the phrasing they used was the most efficient, and most people do understand what they mean to be saying. It’s not the worst example when it comes to something that could be misinterpreted. But it could have been better done.

What Are You Implying?

You may also imply more than you mean to in your ad copy. Maybe it’s hype, maybe it’s something you didn’t mean to say. But it’s misleading to your customers.

This can be a serious problem. It’s not impossible that it can get you into a bit of trouble, depending on how much of an overstatement you make. You can’t claim that your product will do something that there is no chance it can do, and you have to be careful about claims you make that aren’t true all of the time.

This is why business opportunity and wellness product ads have disclaimers, and why the FTC is getting pickier about claims made in advertising. They want average results promoted, not just the extremes. You probably still see a lot of sites making what appear to be promises of wealth, easy weight loss or major health benefits without proof of results, just because it’s hard for laws like that to be enforced. But expect that over time these claims will be checked, and it may be a way to get into legal trouble.

Be sure that what you say clearly and what you imply are reasonable. Have proof available when possible. It may save you a lot of trouble.

It’s important to give a lot of thought to anything you’re going to say to promote your business. Poor punctuation, incorrect phrasing and unproven claims can make your ads say more than you meant them to. That can effect your reputation and your bottom line.

Twitter has turned into quite the phenomenon. It’s easy to get started, if somewhat challenging sometimes to think of things to say. It’s used by people from all walks of life.

Then there are the people who advertise on their Twitter streams. There are several services that place ads in your Twitter stream or allow you to do so. But there’s a lot of controversy about placing ads in your Twitter stream. It even made the New York Times (may require log in or search Google News).

I have to admit, the earnings they quote for people with big follower lists are pretty impressive. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have misgivings about Twitter stream advertising.

On the one hand, tweeting for me is about building my business. If advertising brings in money and isn’t excessive, is it really a problem? I advertise here, after all. Properly disclosed, such as with the #ad hashtag, it’s not that objectionable.

Is it?

Robert Scoble has some good points about the problems with advertising in your Twitter stream. Just on a personal level of not wanting to offend too many followers, Twitter advertising has issues. Disclosure helps, but is it enough? Value to advertisers, as Scoble points out, is another issue.

One important consideration if you do want to advertise in your Twitter stream is whether or not you tweet enough other things. Even if you only post an ad once a day is that made up for by what you say the rest of the time? In quality and in quantity?

And then there’s the simple fact that if you want to advertise it’s your business, so long as you disclose properly. You may be gambling on your followers, but that’s a choice you can make.

There are options to being paid by an ad network, of course. You can write your own ads for products you like. I would expect a relevant product could generate a sale or so. You have to think about why it is people are subscribe to your stream to have a chance of such ads paying off, and disclosure is still an issue.

Always, always, always, be sure that you’re providing value to your Twitter stream. If you’re not providing something people want, whether you advertise or not, people aren’t going to pay attention to your tweets.

Edited to add: Just came across this post from Andy Beal in my Twitter stream: Poll: Will You UnFollow Those That Place Ads in Their Tweets? – so far 44% say yes!