By now most of us should know that the vast majority of big companies that manufacture consumer products are really only concerned about one thing, and that’s profit. Basically, they will do just about anything they think they can get away with in order to convince people to buy whatever it is they are selling. It should be noted that it’s not just the bug guys that are out to deceive consumers. Plenty of little guys are also out to take money from consumers without providing the product or service that was promised. This list will focus on the big guys, however, since they have the money and the resources to deceive millions of consumers. “Buyer beware” is advice we have probably all heard at one time or another, but unfortunately people are deceived every day. Here are a few advertising tricks big brands use to make their products look more appealing than they actually are.

1. Not Your Mother’s Homemade Dinner

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Apparently, real food doesn’t have the ability to produce enough steam when heated to give that just-prepared appearance. Tampons soaked in water and placed in a microwave oven are often used by advertisers to promote food products that should appear “piping hot.” The tampon can be heated and then hidden strategically behind food items to produce the desired effect.