Any person or corporation who, with intent to sell or in anywise dispose of merchandise, securities, service or anything offered by such person or corporation, directly or indirectly, to the public for sale or distribution, or with intent to increase the consumption thereof, or to induce the public in any manner to enter into any obligation relating thereto, or to acquire title thereto, or any interest therein, makes, publishes, disseminates, circulates or places before the public, or causes, directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circulated or placed before the public in this state, in a newspaper or other publication, or in the form of a book, notice, handbill, poster, blueprint, map, bill, tag, label, circular, pamphlet, or letter, or by way of radio or television, or in any other way, an advertisement of any sort regarding merchandise, securities, service, land, lot or anything so offered to the public, which advertisement contains any promise, assertion, representation or statement of fact which is untrue, deceptive or misleading, with knowledge that the same was untrue, deceptive or misleading, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $2,000, or imprisoned in the county jail not more than six months, or both fined and imprisoned.