10 Fallacies in Advertising That Major Brands Don't Want You to Notice

Marketing is a science, but it's also a play on an audience’s psychology. 

But sometimes, brands can take it a little too far with logical fallacies that play on the emotions and biases of an audience.

And in most cases, these fallacies work. 

Nearly 6 in 10 consumers admit they've believed advertising claims that weren't entirely accurate. 

It's why respected brands like Pepsi, Oral-B, and other industry leaders occasionally mix these fallacious techniques in their campaigns.

The question is, should you use them in your brand?

Today's article examines the top 10 fallacies in advertising. Once you know what each entails, you can decide whether it's an advertising tactic you'd like to use in your brand.

What are fallacies in ad campaigns?

Fallacies are flawed arguments designed to drive emotional connection by eliciting a reaction from your target audience.

Sometimes, regular messaging won't do it for your audience, so marketers use fallacies to grab their attention and persuade them to act immediately.

These fallacies play on the emotions and biases of customers to get them to convert.

Should you use them? 

We won't tell you no. Rather, we recommend being nuanced about it. 

Some fallacies will straight-up destroy your reputation. 

The modern consumer is pretty sensitive to their values, and if they feel like you're trying to hoodwink them, it would cost your brand’s reputation and customer retention a great deal.

The 10 most prevalent fallacies in advertising 

1. Bandwagon fallacy

This fallacy tells consumers to buy something because “everyone else is doing it.” It plays on a consumer's fear of missing out or not fitting in.

Most ads using this fallacy will make a variation of these words: “Join the millions who've switched to our brand!” 

This type of fallacy doesn’t say the product is better. 

It just wants you to think, “If everyone is doing it, I should too.” And who wants to miss out? 

Examples of bandwagon fallacy in advertising

The above ad tells you that you should smoke (or inhale) because 7 out of 10 smokers already do. It uses popularity as a justification rather than giving any real reason or benefit.

It’s a fallacy since just because something is common doesn't mean it's right, healthy, or smart. 

Here’s a more recent example:

It’s the same logic as the cigarette ad because it shows you that many people (over a million) use the toothpaste. Therefore, not using Oral-B means you’ll miss out on a lot. 

2. Appeal to emotion

The appeal to emotion fallacy relies on triggering emotional responses instead of providing valid reasoning or evidence. 

Brands might appeal to sentiments of love, trust, sadness, belonging, or even fear to persuade consumers.

Those animal rescue commercials with sad music and images of neglected pets are designed to trigger immediate emotional responses rather than rational considerations. 

Similarly, SUV commercials often sell a sense of belonging, togetherness, and memory-making rather than focusing on, say, fuel efficiency.

This Super Bowl ad from Kia is a perfect example of an ad bound to make you a little teary. 

You can see the heart and effort they put into the ad, the emotions, and how they maneuver the car's features into the advert. 

Rather than explaining why their SUV outperforms competitors on technical merits, they create an emotional connection that bypasses logical decision-making almost entirely.

3. Ad hominem fallacy 

Ad hominem fallacy attacks the person or source affiliated with the competitor instead of addressing the product. 

It's basically a tactic to discredit a rival company so your audience sees them as untrustworthy, inferior, or plain 'bad people.'

If you want a picture-perfect example, turn on the news during an election. Politicians do it well.

In this Pepsi ad from 1996, a Coca-Cola delivery guy is caught on a security camera secretly buying a Pepsi. 

The implication is that even Coke employees secretly prefer Pepsi. 

Instead of explaining why Pepsi is better, the ad takes a jab at the person (the Coke guy) to make Coca-Cola look bad.

It doesn't tackle Coke's actual claims. It just tries to embarrass them through one employee's actions.

4. Slippery slope fallacy 

The slippery slope fallacy shows up when brands exaggerate the consequences of not buying or using their product. 

This fallacy suggests that if one thing happens, it will automatically lead to a series of worse events, usually without solid proof. It's a scare tactic disguised as logic.

It triggers fear, which can prompt fast action.

The slippery slope fallacy simplifies complex problems into a black-and-white choice. You can either buy a product or suffer the consequences.

A perfect example is DIRECTV's “Don't Sell Your Hair to a Wig Shop” 2012 commercial.

It exaggerates the consequences of having cable by linking a series of extreme and unlikely events, none of which are directly caused by the one before. 

In the ad, having cable leads to a ridiculous downward spiral from boredom to depression, to losing everything in Vegas, and finally... selling your hair to a wig shop to survive.

It's meant to be funny, and it is, but it's still using flawed logic to persuade viewers that cable = disaster and DIRECTV = salvation.

5. Straw man fallacy in advertising

The straw man fallacy happens when a brand deliberately misrepresents its competitor's position to make it easier to attack. 

They create a ‘straw man,’ a weakened or distorted version of the competition's actual offering, and then knock it down.

For example, a brand might oversimplify or distort what the competition offers so they look superior by comparison. 

At its core, this fallacy banks on making a weaker argument so your brand’s argument looks better, more logical, and more acceptable.

This tactic offers two main advantages:

• It makes the brand's message sound stronger without having to prove much
• It frames the competition as outdated, clueless, or irrelevant

Here's a fictional example of two competing brands: 

Brand A: “Our cereal contains 50% less sugar than other cereal brands because kids deserve a healthier start to their day.”

Brand B (in a competing ad): “Some brands think breakfast should be all about rules and restrictions. We believe breakfast should be fun.”

Brand B has now created a simplistic caricature of Brand A's position. 

They've reduced a legitimate health claim about lower sugar content into “rules and restrictions” that supposedly take the joy out of breakfast. 

Framing their competitor this way can help them position themselves as the fun alternative without addressing the actual health benefits of reduced sugar.

6. Traditional wisdom fallacy

Traditional wisdom fallacy appeals to history and longevity as proof of quality. 

It says, “If it worked these many years, you bet it's still relevant and helpful for you.”

The fallacy relies on an audience's values and nostalgia to sell.

This approach is particularly common in the arts, restaurants, and food industries.

Here’s an example of the traditional wisdom fallacy from a McCormick ad: 

When you see a label stating “Established in 1889” or “Trusted quality since 1889," that's the traditional wisdom fallacy at work. 

It suggests the vanilla extract is high-quality because it's been around since 1889. It’s arguing that something is good or correct just because it's been done or used for a long time.

However, we know that longevity doesn't guarantee current quality. 

Modern technology, ingredients, or production methods might actually deliver better quality, but this fallacy discourages questioning the established ways.

7. Halo effect

The halo effect works best for established brands with a good reputation. We see this a lot with tech companies. 

For instance, people buy the latest iPhone because they trust Apple's track record with previous versions over the years.

An even better example would be when Apple launched the Apple Watch. 

People trusted and liked it immediately, not because they had experience with Apple watches specifically, but because Apple was already known as a reliable brand with quality products like the iPhone.

Or look at Dyson, a company famous for vacuum cleaners that now sells the popular Dyson Airwrap. While TikTok helped make it viral, people were already willing to trust it because Dyson was a brand they knew.

This is actually one of the best strategies to try as a brand with multiple products.

Marketing expert Al Ries said it best: “To cut through the clutter in today's overcommunicated society, place your marketing dollars on your best horse. Then let that product or service serve as a halo effect for the rest of the line.”

In other words, focus on building one standout product and its reputation will help you sell everything else you make.

8. Authority appeal

This fallacy works on the premise that if an expert rallies behind a product, then this product must be good. 

It essentially says, “You should believe or buy this because someone important said so.”

A classic example comes from old cigarette ads that claimed, “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” 

But there are obvious problems with this logic.

Even if doctors did prefer this brand, smoking a product isn't evidence of its safety or value. 

This fallacy relies on the credibility of doctors to bypass the need for actual evidence or logical reasoning. 

It assumes that doctors are smart and trustworthy, and they smoke Camels. Therefore, Camels must be a good product.

9. False Dilemma Fallacy

The false dilemma fallacy, or the either-or fallacy, makes the audience feel like they have limited options. 

It suggests choosing the undesirable choice will lead to greater consequences.

Here's an example from a made-up insurance company: 

“With SafeguardSure, your family's future is protected. Without us, you're gambling with everything that matters.”

This ad forces a binary choice:

• Either buy SafeguardSure's policy and be a responsible protector,
• Or risk your family's well-being entirely.

It deliberately ignores other reasonable options, like:

• Choosing a competitor's plan
• Using a mix of insurance and financial planning
• Having employer-provided coverage

The fallacy frames the situation as “our plan or disaster,” which oversimplifies a complex decision and pressures the buyer by appealing to fear.

10. Post hoc fallacy (false cause)

Also known as post hoc ergo propter hoc, this fallacy tries to establish a cause-and-effect relationship even if there's no logical or proven link.

An excellent example is Old Spice ads that play on the “fact” that if you use Old Spice, you'll become powerful, whether that's physically or socially. 

In reality, smelling better may help with confidence, but it won't suddenly make you strong, dominant, or influential, as the ad implies.

Here’s another post hoc fallacy from Skechers Shape-Ups

Skechers claimed that wearing their toning shoes would lead to weight loss, toned muscles, and improved health. 

However the studies backing these claims were flawed and misleading. The shoes didn't cause those results.

Implying false causes in advertising doesn't just mislead consumers. It can also lead to legal consequences. 

In Skechers’ case, it resulted in a $40 million FTC settlement for deceptive advertising.

FAQs

Wrapping up

About 89% of adverts are not noticed or remembered. 

Using logical fallacies might feel like a shortcut to getting noticed, but that couldn't be further from the truth. 

While fallacies in advertising work, they're not a sustainable strategy. 

Consumers are now more aware, more selective, and quicker to walk away from brands that feel manipulative.

The solution now is to use ads grounded in real-time data, built around what your audience cares about, and honest enough to earn long-term trust.

We can help you with that.

Cropink enables brands to create data-driven and personalized campaigns that build trust without relying on emotional bait or logical fallacies.

If you're ready to connect with your audience more authentically (and ethically), we’re here to make that happen.

Book a free demo call to see how Cropink can transform your ad campaigns. 

Sources

1. Filestage. False Advertising Examples
2. CXL. Halo Effect in Marketing
3. FTC. Skechers Will Pay $40 Million to Settle FTC Charges for Deceptive Toning Shoe Ads
4. Campaign Live. Straw Man in Advertising