# Favorite meaningless advertising claims **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024 "2011-06-27T14:48:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/81 "2011-06-28T04:59:22Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > You’re free to disagree, but that doesn’t mean your opinion is as valid as mine. Of course, I would say the same of your opinion, but to each their own. How do you feel about similar constructions like, say, “more perfect”? Either something is perfect or it isn’t right? Yet I don’t hear much squawking about “a more perfect union,” do you? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/82 "2011-06-28T05:06:29Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I’m not sure I agree with your logic. It’s not prima facie ridiculous to imagine a product which will do nothing by itself, but which will, if you diet and exercise and do other things which would cause you to lose weight, cause you to lose more weight than you otherwise would; or alternatively a product which does some psychopharmacological thing which makes it easier for most people to diet and/or exercise. The above sentence seems like a reasonable description for either of those products. Shoving a red-tailed hawk’s feather up your ass will help you lose weight…if you combine it with diet and exercise. ---
**Author:** ![heathen\_earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/13edae/32.png) [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/83 "2011-06-28T05:49:15Z")
There’s a completely nonsensical commercial on Canadian TV now for the Harvey’s hamburger chain, which basically tells you the burgers are freshy prepared to the customer’s specifications, followed by the customer saying, “It’s so… Canadian!” Uh, ok? ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/84 "2011-06-28T05:56:55Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Another shampoo one (I noticed that shampoo has been mentioned more than any other product besides beer) is how one of the upscale, premium brands has something on the label about “Professional Formula” or “Preferred By Professionals” and when I first noticed it (truthfully, I may have actually been a bit “herbally enhanced” upon reading it) I thought “Professional who?” > > Are there people who wash their hair professionally? Yes, they wash others’ hair professionally. Getting your hair shampooed is pretty SOP at salons. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/85 "2011-06-28T07:03:03Z")
Fed Ex or one of the other air freighters says: “The world, on time” Sounds impressive; means nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/86 "2011-06-28T12:32:24Z")
The Onion has a little fun with it: [#1](http://www.theonion.com/articles/fda-approves-sale-of-prescription-placebo,1606/) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/87 "2011-06-28T14:44:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Shoving a red-tailed hawk’s feather up your ass will help you lose weight…if you combine it with diet and exercise. Wow! Where can I buy that? Regular diets haven’t worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/88 "2011-06-28T14:44:49Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I’m not sure I agree with your logic. It’s not prima facie ridiculous to imagine a product which will do nothing by itself, but which will, if you diet and exercise and do other things which would cause you to lose weight, cause you to lose more weight than you otherwise would; or alternatively a product which does some psychopharmacological thing which makes it easier for most people to diet and/or exercise. The above sentence seems like a reasonable description for either of those products. > I can’t agree with your analysis there. First of all, what you probably mean is “20% less of the part of the cookie that isn’t chips”, ie, “20% less dough” or something like that. The total amount of cookie probably remains constant, given that cookie is dough + chips. Even ignoring that pedantry, however, your math is still wrong, because if the cookies were originally 90% dough and 10% cookies, then increasing the amount of cookies by 20% means you end up at 88% dough and 12% cookies, for a decrease in dough of around 2.2%. You’re not a lot of fun at parties, are you? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/89 "2011-06-28T14:56:06Z")
Any claim that a product is “The Official Product of Something You Should Care About.” The can of Coke Zero in front of me says _Coca-Cola Zero, Official Fan Refreshment of NCAA® March Madness_. This means what, exactly? That money changed hands somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/90 "2011-06-28T14:59:53Z")
One of the most devious misleading ads I can ever remember came from (BIG surprise!) McDonald’s in the early 90s. Picture this, an ad filled with lots of images of wholesome Americana, cutting away to “glamor” shots of McDonald’s hamburgers. Narrator: There’s been a BIG CHANGE recently at McDonald’s…regular hamburgers are NOW ONLY 79c and regular cheeseburgers are only 89c! But that’s not a sale…that’s our EVERYDAY LOW PRICE!!! Cue swelling, upbeat, joyous music. Narrator: That’s right! From NOW ON, only 79c & 89c EVERY DAY!!! ONLY at McDONALD’S!!! Sounds great, huh? Except for one thing… I had been in a McDonald’s just a week before and a regular hamburger had been 69c and regular cheeseburger 79c! They had actually RAISED the prices! And then ran a flashy ad that did everything to suggest (without actually directly saying) that they lowered the price. I couldn’t help but admire the balls it took to run such a blatantly misleading ad. And much to my surprise, they were never called on it (to my knowledge at any rate.) ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/91 "2011-06-28T15:03:02Z")
How is it misleading? They didn’t make any claim, they just informed you of the price. And they were perfectly accurate when they said “It’s not a sale…” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/92 "2011-06-28T15:10:18Z")
All those anti-depressants that are “believe to work by…” What does that mean? You are telling me to take some medicine that is going to affect my whole life, and you do not even know how it works? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/93 "2011-06-28T15:12:00Z")
I like all the commercials for the anti-depressants with the long list of side effects, one of which is always “suicidal thoughts or actions.” Isn’t that what the medication is supposed to be treating? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/94 "2011-06-28T15:14:50Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > How is it misleading? They didn’t make any claim, they just informed you of the price. And they were perfectly accurate when they said “It’s not a sale…” “Now only 79c” makes it seem as though the price were higher at first. Why tack on the word “only” and have the big flashing lights if you’re not suggesting the price has been lowered? No one said the ad wasn’t accurate; she said it was misleading, which it was. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/95 "2011-06-28T15:17:04Z")
Of course **I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!** The secret ingredient is butter! ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/96 "2011-06-28T15:20:13Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > “Now only 79c” makes it seem as though the price were higher at first. Why tack on the word “only” and have the big flashing lights if you’re not suggesting the price has been lowered? No one said the ad wasn’t accurate; she said it was misleading, which it was. I maintain that it is indeed only 79c. It’s hardly the hard-working copywriter’s fault if you weren’t aware of the price before this. Seriously, though, I do know what you’re saying and agree that this is a slimy thing to do. But I don’t think anyone was mislead. It’s not like they claimed that they lowered the price, they didn’t even mention a price change. I see it as not very different from saying that something is “only 79c” instead of much more. Relatively speaking. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/97 "2011-06-28T15:28:06Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > All those anti-depressants that are “believe to work by…” > > What does that mean? You are telling me to take some medicine that is going to affect my whole life, and you do not even know how it works? > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I like all the commercials for the anti-depressants with the long list of side effects, one of which is always “suicidal thoughts or actions.” Isn’t that what the medication is supposed to be treating? Yes, to both of these questions. It’s not misleading at all - many drugs, from Tylenol to anti-depressants, have unknown mechanisms of action. And anti-depressants do increase (not just don’t treat effectively, but increase) the incidence of suicidal thoughts or action, especially in particular populations like adolescents. That needs to be made known so people watch out for it and seek help. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/98 "2011-06-28T15:32:36Z")
The nutritional supplements in the bodybuilding magazines usually say something like "Xtreme Re-flub is designed to increase your testosterone levels 19%’. Not that it does increase them, but that’s what they were trying for. It might be a failure, but at least it is a well-intentioned failure. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/99 "2011-06-28T15:32:46Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > I maintain that it is indeed only 79c. It’s hardly the hard-working copywriter’s fault if you weren’t aware of the price before this. > > Seriously, though, I do know what you’re saying and agree that this is a slimy thing to do. But I don’t think anyone was mislead. It’s not like they claimed that they lowered the price, they didn’t even mention a price change. I see it as not very different from saying that something is “only 79c” instead of much more. Relatively speaking. If they would have made an ad that said “Hamburgers at McD’s are only 79c” I’d think they were just advertising their low, low prices. If they have the razzle dazzle and tell me the big change is their burgers are “now only” 79c, I’m assuming the price has been lowered, which is what they want me to do, which is why they phrased it that way. They haven’t lied to anyone, but they deliberately gave the impression that this was a reduction. Can you imagine having this conversation with a person? Person: I’ve changed the price that I’m listing my bike for. Now I’m selling it for only $300. Other Person: How much was it at first? Person: $200. Other Person: :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024/100 "2011-06-28T15:39:37Z")
There’s a radio commercial for a car lot running constantly in the Twin Cities which continuously pushes the line, “no reasonable offer will be refused.” Of course, they are the ones who will decide what is “reasonable,” so the line means nothing. Another thing advertisers will sometimes do is try to denigrate competitors on the base of a meaningless difference. For instance, I once saw two commercials back to back for different brands of laundry detergent. The first one was for a powder and said, “…and it’s a powder, not a messy liquid.” The very next ad (I swear to God) was for a liquid detergent and said, “and it’s a liquid, not that dry powder stuff.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-meaningless-advertising-claims/587024.md?page=6)