[quote] Originally posted by Jack Batty They might as well say “The Budwieser we serve tastes better than any other Budwieser in town”.
The couldn’t really do this, but they could claim to have the “Best tasting Budwieser in town!”
It’s an advertising gimmick. If you actually claim to be better than your competitors, you are claiming that there is a difference in quality, and you have to be able to demonstrate this difference.
On the other hand, if you claim to be the best, this can be true if the quality is equal; technically, if every prodcut is equal, they’re all in a tie for the best. Claiming to be better is actually a more difficult claim that claiming to be the best.
Other advertising gimmicks:
Meaningless comparison: The most common form is to claim that our product is “like no other”. Notice that no claim regarding quality is made; it could be like no other becuase it’s the worst.
Incomplete comparison: Diet Dr. Pepper tastes more like regular Dr. Pepper. What are they comparing here? In other words, Diet Dr. Pepper tastes more like regualr Dr. Pepper than what?
Universal claim: This is when you claim something about your product that is true of every product of its type; i.e., “Our Water is Really Wet!” Detergent gasoline is an example; all gasoline acts as a detergent.
Implied inferiority: “Brand X Tuna won’t turn pink in the can.” This implies, without actually making the claim, that A. Pink tuna is bad, and B. Other brands of tuna start white and turn pink in the can. Since the only claim actaully made is about Brand X, and it is true, this is not false advertising.
Don’t Settle for anything less! The key here is the use of the word “less” instead of “else”. If they said “Don’t settle for anything else” then they are claiming that anything else is of lesser quality–you are “settling” if you buy anything else. This is a claim that is almost impossible to prove.
However, when you tell people not to “Settle for anything less” all you are saying is that products that aren’t as good–those that are “less”–aren’t as good–you are settling if you buy them. To paraphrase: “Don’t buy things that aren’t as good, because they aren’t as good!” This makes no claim whatsoever about the quality of the product being advertised.
Although off-topic, I just happened to have a beer book on the shelf next to me. Quothe the raven: "most premium lagers should be served between 42 and 48 degrees…quality ales between 44 and 52 degrees…authentic stouts at 55 degrees (“British cellar temperature”). The book says most beer in the US is served far too cold for serious appreciation. From “Beer for Dummies” in case you’re curious…
In a similar vein, US Soldiers being sent out to a posting on Adak island during World War 2 (Adak’s in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska, a fairly Godforsaken place) were told by helpful sergeants “Don’t worry, there’s a woman behind every tree!”
Upon their arrival, of course, they discover there are no trees anywhere on the island.