State RegulationsVA specificDifficulty 3/5
A life insurance advertisement contains only literally accurate statements, but its layout and selective emphasis leave readers believing the policy's cash values are guaranteed when they are not. Under Virginia's advertisement rules, what is the correct assessment?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
The advertisement rules administered under 14 VAC 5-41 judge an advertisement by its capacity to mislead — the standard is the net impression the piece creates, not the literal accuracy of its individual statements. Selective emphasis and design can mislead as effectively as a false sentence, and Virginia's Bureau of Insurance treats such a piece as a deceptive advertisement even though every word in it is true. Marketers therefore must test the overall message, not merely proofread each claim.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Accuracy sentence by sentence is not a safe harbor; a literally true advertisement that misleads as a whole still violates 14 VAC 5-41.
- C) No showing of knowledge or a specific misled policyholder is required; the capacity of the advertisement to mislead is itself the violation.
- D) Layout and emphasis are exactly the tools the net-impression standard addresses; design choices that manufacture a false impression are within the rule.
Memory hook
True words can still tell a lie — the net impression is what gets judged.