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Fun article. The Weasel Words technique is what I notice most in my day to day life. Here are two of my favorite examples: 1) Sales advertised as "Save up to x
by droopyEyelids 3y ago
Fun article. The Weasel Words technique is what I notice most in my day to day life. Here are two of my favorite examples:
1) Sales advertised as "Save up to x%"... This means the most you can possibly save is x%. Saving zero percent definitely is definitely a possibility! Hell, they could say a price increase is a savings of a negative precent.
2) On some diaper packaging it says "Guaranteed to prevent up to 100% of leaks!" I had to do a double take when I read that. Was it written as a joke? Because I had to laugh. A bare onesie with no diaper at all could make the same claim!
- JohnFen 3y ago> Sales advertised as "Save up to x%" Even better is when I see ads saying "Save up to x% or more" -- which literally means nothing.
- Veserv 3y agoGood old Monkey’s Paw truth. Technically true, but substantially false. It really should be fraud if you have to defend yourself in court by saying: “Well, technically…”. A marketing can be useful if it is meant to inform. However, a marketing organization spending their time focus grouping a statement until the average listener comes to the wrong, overstated conclusion is the definition of deliberate deception meant to bewilder and confuse. The standard we should demand is that marketing must deliberately aim to inform. They must focus group until the average listener comes to the correct or understated conclusion. A failure to do so (when expending serious marketing resources) should be counted as fraud. We should demand marketing be held to moral standards higher than a Monkey’s Paw.