Monday, December 1, 2014

There Ought to Be a Law

prohibiting the use of the phrase

1.  "edge cleaning " when advertising vacuum cleaners.

2.  "non-stick" when applied to cookware.

3.  "self-cleaning" when referring to kitchen ovens.

4. "stain resistant" on carpet labels.

5.  "gluten free" unless the meaning is "no charge for the gluten."  If there is no gluten, then it needs to be so labeled.

6.  "lite" anything.  Say what is meant, and if nothing is meant, say nothing.  If the intent is to deceive or mislead, shame on the advertiser.

In a similar vein, please observe that much advertising which may not be patently false, is deliberately misleading.  So, even the Romans had a cautionary phrase two millennia ago:  caveat emptor.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.

7 comments:

Lin said...

Add to that: fat-free and heart healthy. It's all the latest buzz words to get you to buy their product. I think we are to the point of blocking it all out now.

Vee said...

So much misleading advertising - so many suckers.

Grace said...

But without all the bad grammar and intelligence-insulting advertising what would I have to amuse myself with and yell at? (Grocery store+chicken broth marked "gluten free"= me,yelling "Of course you're gluten free, you're chicken broth!")

Secondary Roads said...

And of course we all know what "natural" means, or at least we think we do. According to FDA, it means whatever you want it to mean.

As for "lite," I think that's the short way of saying it tastes bad.

You mileage may vary.

vanilla said...

Lin, I thought of that and others, but wanted to leave some for you to mention! Yes, ignoring the whole thing is the chosen line of defense.

Vee, so then, P.T. Barnum was not wrong.

Grace, the amusement value is precisely why one of this post's labels is "fun." The package containing my hard mint candies is now labeled "gluten free." Really? Pure sugar, water and a dab of flavoring has no gluten? Imagine that.

vanilla said...

Chuck, so then the ingredient that has been removed to make it "lite" is good taste! Agreed.

Sharkbytes said...

haha- I guess I don't mind that stuff. it's just salesmanship. It's always up to the buyer to see what it means.