Shoe manufacturer Skechers will have to pay $40m (?26.13m) to people who bought its Shape-Up trainers after adverts made unfounded claims they would help weight loss and strengthen muscles. US district judge Thomas B Russell approved the class action settlement, meaning more than 520,000 customers will now be able to claim back the price of the toning shoes.
A pair of Shape-Ups – which are endorsed by reality star Kim Kardashian – or Resistance Runners, which were both covered by the settlement, are priced at around $80. Two other styles bought by claimants – Podded Sole Shoes and Tone-Ups – cost between $40 and $54.
Skechers billed its Shape-Ups as a fitness tool, saying the shoe’s curved “rocker” or rolling bottom provided natural instability and causes the consumer to “use more energy with every step”. Resistance Runners were claimed to increase “muscle activation” by up to 85% for posture-related muscles and 71% for one of the muscles in the buttocks.
I – Word Understanding
Adverts – advertisements
Unfounded claims – statements made that are not based on facts or no proof
Claimants – customers who want to get their money back
II – Have your say
1.Coca-cola Japan ordered to correct misleading ad for ginger ale
2.Researchers report that women’s magazines have 10.5 times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines do, and over 75% of women’s magazine covers include at least one article title about how to change a woman’s body by diet, exercise, or cosmetic surgery.
3.Thinking vs. Feeling: Do ads with facts work better than ads that appeal through emotion and aspiration?
4.A York University study revealed that U.S. pharmaceutical companies spend twice as much on advertising as they do on research.
5.Advertising affects children and commercials influence children which can be seen in their constant demands for products advertised on television. In a national survey, more than half of the children who responded reported that buying certain advertised products made them feel better about themselves.
