For the past eleven years, the Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch (M-LAW) has held The Wacky Warning Label Contest in response to the high number of frivolous lawsuits that are filed each year. The point the group is trying to make is that the absurdity of these product lawsuits results in ridiculously obvious warning labels on U.S. products.
This year's winner is a label on a small tractor that reads, "Danger! Avoid Death," accompanied by a photo of a person exiting the vehicle without lowering the lift arm to the ground first. Naturally, if the lift arm is left in a raised position and a person walks under it, there is a risk the lift arm could fall on them. For some reason (most likely as the result of fear of lawsuits), the manufacturer felt it necessary to warn people of this danger with words and a picture (see the picture above).
The remaining finalists this year included a t-shirt with an iron-on patch that was labeled with the warning, "Do not iron while wearing shirt," and a stroller with a small storage bag attached that says, "Do not put child in bag!"
Just when you think these label warnings can't get anymore ridiculous, my favorite comes along as an honorable mention. This product warning appeared on the label of a letter opener from Staples. The label reads, "Caution: safety goggles recommended." Could you imagine walking through your office at mail delivery time and seeing all your coworkers opening their mail while wearing goggles?
But the most obvious warning label also received an honorable mention. This label appears on a vanishing fabric marker and reads, "The Vanishing Fabric Marker should not be used as a writing instrument for signing checks or any legal documents."
You can see all the pictures and winners from prior years on the Wacky Warnings website. It's great for a laugh, but at the same time, it reminds me of too many times I had to include a laundry list of disclaimers in copywriting simply to protect the company from potential lawsuits. Every business these days has this concern, and as marketers, we always have to keep that concern in our minds as we develop marketing programs and promote them. In fact, the greatest marketing campaign can be axed because of fears of lawsuits. Of course, I agree that marketers have to fully disclose restrictions to offers, but in today's lawsuit happy world, those disclosure requirements can get to be absurd.
Can you think of any other examples of ridiculous product warnings?
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