Reebok Sued Over False Shoe Claims

Here is a perfect example of marketing gone wrong. When the shoe retailer, Reebok, came out with its new toning shoes, it claimed these shoes would increase muscle strength while giving you perfectly toned legs. Reebok came out with ads saying these shoes are essentially multi-taskers, strengthening hamstrings much more than regular sneakers while toning buttocks. The shoes were designed to be a little unstable, thus forcing you to work harder and strengthening your muscles. Unfortunately these claims were false because it's a known fact that in order to have a toned, healthy body you need to put some effort and time into working out. Just simply wearing a pair of shoes will not get you the results you are hoping to achieve. People's complaints started to pour in and Reebok found itself in the middle of a controversy. But Adidas, who owns Reebok, defended the shoes, claiming they were accurately tested and they did not falsely advertise their product. They said they will stand behind these shoes because they were inspired by the technique behind balance-ball training. Since so many people complained that they were not fully satisfied with this product, Reebok agreed to cooperate with the FTC (Federal Trade Commision) and pay $25 million to settle the charges made against their product.
My view:
With the situation Reebok has found itself in, I think that they made a smart move by cooperating with the FTC and agreeing to pay the charges. The whole point behind a product is to deliver benefits the product promises and more. When consumers had a chance to try out the new sneakers, they realized the sneakers did not give them the results they had hoped for. Of course some people's expectations could have been too high and that is why they were so easily dissappointed. But the company made the right move by showing their customers that the company cares about customer satisfaction and that they are working hard to deliver promised benefits to customers.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/reebok-paying-to-settle-charges-over-shoe-claims-2571097/