# Huffery & Puffery **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160 "2017-02-18T17:20:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/1 "2017-02-18T17:20:23Z")
_“Advertising puffery is defined as advertising or promotional material that makes broad exaggerated or boastful statements about a product or service that are subjective (or a matter of opinion), rather than objective (something that is measurable), and that which no reasonable person would presume to be literally true.”_ Imagine a world where using “puffery” (a form of lying, no?) in advertising was somehow not permitted. Why wouldn’t the world be a better place? ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/2 "2017-02-18T17:25:56Z")
And in politics too. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/3 "2017-02-18T18:22:48Z")
Some lying in ads is already prohibited. I wouldn’t want this to go too far, because freedom of speech is that important. (Also, whom do we trust to determine the “truth?”) But, yeah, the world would be a better place if corporate speech were a tad more fact-oriented. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/4 "2017-02-18T19:07:26Z")
I believe that our society is at least a little insane due to the fact that we are constantly misled and lied to by advertising. You really can’t believe any of it, so how does one make rational decisions? And there’s so much of it. Way way way too much of it, everywhere, all the time. Advertising has a function, but it would be nice if truthfulness were the default rather than the exception. ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/5 "2017-02-18T21:47:48Z")
What would puffery-free advertising even look like? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/6 "2017-02-18T21:57:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Imagine a world where using “puffery” (a form of lying, no?) in advertising was somehow not permitted. Why wouldn’t the world be a better place? What do you mean by “a better place”? Have you quantitatively measured the betterness of worlds with and without puffery, and compared them? Is this measure of betterness independently verified, and does it conform with any agreed-upon standard of betterness? ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/7 "2017-02-18T22:20:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What do you mean by “a better place”? Have you quantitatively measured the betterness of worlds with and without puffery, and compared them? Is this measure of betterness independently verified, and does it conform with any agreed-upon standard of betterness? Nope! Just my personal feeling that the world might be a better place if there were less of it (and hopefully inspire a conversation about that fantasy here on the wonderful SDMB.) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/8 "2017-02-18T23:47:13Z")
Read _Tono-Bungay_ by H.G. Wells. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/9 "2017-02-19T00:06:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What do you mean by “a better place”? Have you quantitatively measured the betterness of worlds with and without puffery, and compared them? Is this measure of betterness independently verified, and does it conform with any agreed-upon standard of betterness? Puffery is the official advertising technique of the National Betterness Foundation. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/10 "2017-02-19T00:08:34Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > Nope! Just my personal feeling that the world might be a better place if there were less of it (and hopefully inspire a conversation about that fantasy here on the wonderful SDMB.) If by “better place” you mean a “more boring place,” then I’d agree with you. Think how boring TV commercials would be [without](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdackF2H7Qc) [puffery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_v._Pepsico,_Inc.). ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/11 "2017-02-19T00:13:55Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > What would puffery-free advertising even look like? It turns up in Pohl’s “Merchants’ War” (on Venus, advertising is strongly discouraged, leading to very truthful business signage). ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/12 "2017-02-19T00:52:53Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > What would puffery-free advertising even look like? [Metamucil: It helps you go to the toilet. If you don’t use it, you’ll get cancer and die.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MraSZ8NA-f8) [Buy Volvos. They’re boxy, but they’re good.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGVeZ4XLo4Y) [Sony: Because Caucasions are too damn tall.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fIIqFpZdy0) ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffery-puffery/780160/13 "2017-02-19T03:12:41Z")
I think I see where this thread is going!