Those Poor, Overused Words.

Hello again readers! Fret not, for we are back with more advertising-themed, bloggy goodness for you to waste roughly five minutes reading! We had to take a brief hiatus due to circumstances beyond our control, namely the relocating of headquarters, and we know you missed us. We missed you too. All eight of you. Seriously, we came this close to perching on a tree branch outside your window.

But alas, the memory of that restraining order is still too clear in our minds. Moving on, we thought it would be interesting to put just a slight twist on TIA this week and discuss not an advertisement, but a trend within them that has attracted our notice. And our ire.

Readers, have you ever noticed how often certain words are used in advertisements across every medium? Words like: revolutionary, natural, all-new, active, and organic? Or how about pseudo-scientific titles and phrases like, "active naturals" or "dynamic inertia?" It seems that the very language of the marketing world is designed to misdirect and cloud. And that apparently the powers that be in said world believe us too stupid to see this.

Granted, most of the words and phrases used are very subtle, and often subconsciously reinforced by the imagery of the ad. For example, some people wearing lab coats in the newest "anti-aging" cream television spot. Or how about the sound of a car engine to illustrate the new Benz's power on a radio ad, shooting an image into your brain of driving it down some windy mountain road?

However, it takes only a little closer look at the fine print to discern that you're not actually getting a great deal on that new car after all. You know the fast-talking lawyer at the end of every car advert? We think he should just say "blahblahblahblah everythingwetoldyouwasalie." Its simpler.

As long as we're talking about expensive machines, are we alone in the assumption that the more expensive the product, the more convoluted the smokescreen? The newest shampoo doesn't come with the commitment of an annual contract, so there's markedly less deception. By no means none, just less. The way things are worded -forty dollars a month for the first year, qualified lessees with tier one credit- is designed to skirt the issue that you're dropping some serious coin while most likely becoming locked into a difficult, long-term contract. Let us know your thoughts, or share any examples of this you've noticed.

These are the kinds of things we think about while we're away from you, dear readers. Let us know your thoughts, or share any examples of this you've noticed. We'd love to read them. Its the closest thing to human interaction we get, since you haven't returned any of our phone calls asking to go out for coffee...