# Meaningless Advertising Words
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 17, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265 "2018-06-17T16:37:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/1 "2018-06-17T16:37:25Z")
I was making my sandwich today and I noticed the sliced Honey Brown Sugar Ham I was using was labelled “Homestyle”. What does that mean? Is it supposed to be like ham made and flavored like I’d make it at home? Is other sliced ham not homestyle? Does it mean simple?
It seems to me homestyle is just a marketing feel good term without real meaning. Anyone else have a different take?
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/2 "2018-06-17T16:45:22Z")
Maybe the ham is cut from a single piece of meat rather than a shaped “loaf” made from several pieces?
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### Author:  [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/3 "2018-06-17T17:09:18Z")
Perhaps. I have seen homestyle waffles, homestyle spaghetti sauce, homestyle sausage patties, homestyle bread, homestyle soup etc etc. It I is such a common word in the grocery store but I cannot see a commonality that defines the term.
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/4 "2018-06-17T17:28:12Z")
Natural is a pretty useless descriptor. What is the alternative, unnatural? Supernatural?
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### Author:  [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/5 "2018-06-17T18:07:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#):
>
> Natural is a pretty useless descriptor. What is the alternative, unnatural? Supernatural?
Made in a factory by robots from an old robot recipe.
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### Author:  [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/6 "2018-06-17T18:33:58Z")
Professional Strength: I guess the other is for amateurs. The term has a seriousness/dangerousness to it that almost implies not to let the kids use the product to clean.
Tuscan: Is this just a highbrow way of saying Italian?
Original/Classic: I have seen new products arrive at the store with the plain flavor labelled as either original or classic. A product cannot be both new and original. It cannot be both new and classic.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/7 "2018-06-17T20:09:38Z")
Naturally Baked Potato Chips. How does that happen? Lay the slices of potato down on a rock that’s gotten hot in the sun?
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### Author:  [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/8 "2018-06-17T21:24:33Z")
“Kid Tested, Mother Approved”
Who exactly was conducting these studies?
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### Author:  [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/9 "2018-06-17T21:29:07Z")
REVOLUTIONARY! Hmmm…Really?:dubious:
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### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/10 "2018-06-17T21:32:55Z")
“Made from the Finest Ingredients”…if you say so, I guess.
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### Author:  [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/11 "2018-06-17T21:42:30Z")
No one makes a better product" – several of our competitors might make a product just as good and perhaps for a slightly lower cost – and we’re not going to get into all of the subtleties of what “better” might be – but we stand by our statement and our product.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/12 "2018-06-17T22:01:14Z")
I’ve been noticing infomercials lately which say something like “we’ll even throw in a second Turnip Twaddler, just pay a separate fee!” My response is something like “so, what, you’d sell me two of them?”
> [@Biotop](#):
>
> I was making my sandwich today and I noticed the sliced Honey Brown Sugar Ham I was using was labelled “Homestyle”. What does that mean? Is it supposed to be like ham made and flavored like I’d make it at home? Is other sliced ham not homestyle? Does it mean simple?
>
> It seems to me homestyle is just a marketing feel good term without real meaning. Anyone else have a different take?
“Homestyle” doesn’t particularly bother me. I don’t know exactly what it means, but it could mean something. I object to “home made” items at restaurants. I always want to ask whose home it was made at.
> [@furryman](#):
>
> Made in a factory by robots from an old robot recipe.
And what’s wrong with that?
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/13 "2018-06-17T22:49:46Z")
“Quality.” Meaningless without a modifier. Low quality? Probably, but one wouldn’t want to infer.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/14 "2018-06-17T23:33:30Z")
In advertising:
“virtually,” which means not actually.
“Nothing is better” means “It’s as good as anything else.”
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### Author:  [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/15 "2018-06-18T01:18:36Z")
My favorites have always been
“… And it costs **no more**!” No more than **what**? :dubious: 😕
and
“New and improved!” Hey, you know that stuff we’ve been telling you to buy for the last thirty years? Well, forget it. It’s real crap! :mad:
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### Author:  [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/16 "2018-06-18T01:34:32Z")
> [@Biotop](#):
>
> Perhaps. I have seen homestyle waffles, homestyle spaghetti sauce, homestyle sausage patties, homestyle bread, homestyle soup etc etc. It I is such a common word in the grocery store but I cannot see a commonality that defines the term.
Well, most of it is consumed in someone’s home. I wish both supermarkets and restaurants would go lighter on the adjectives.
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### Author:  [@4d3fect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4d3fect)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2018, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/17 "2018-06-18T03:13:45Z")
“Meaningless Advertising Words”
–all of them
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### Author:  [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/18 "2018-06-18T03:19:43Z")
I may have mentioned it in another rant somewhere, but foods made from “real ingredients” are just foods, right? Wouldn’t that include just about any manufactured/produced food?
What I really hate, though, is when brands make up some special qualification that only they have. Tonight, I was looking into moisturizers online. Neutrogena moisturizers are the only ones with super-amazing Helioplex [https://www.neutrogena.com/tips-tools/helioplex-technology.html](https://www.neutrogena.com/tips-tools/helioplex-technology.html). L’Oreal is the only one to have Pro-Retinol A, which I’m supposed to believe is special or better than retinol. [https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/skin-care/anti-aging/best-skin-care-products-with-pro-retinol-a.aspx](https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/skin-care/anti-aging/best-skin-care-products-with-pro-retinol-a.aspx)
Yeah, you’re the only one with that because you made it up. That doesn’t make it any better, and it doesn’t mean anything.
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### Author:  [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2018, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/19 "2018-06-18T04:53:38Z")
Artisan is another meaningless term. I suppose every product was first crafted by some artist somewhere.
Signature products taste better because someone has scribbled their name on the packaging.
Simple seems to be gaining popularity. But it is so simple why not just make it yourself?
I like my food to be bold. None of that cowardly flavoring for me.
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### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2018, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/20 "2018-06-18T04:57:23Z")
“Artisanal” is annoying to me too.
“Clean food” is something else that drives me crazy. No, I want DIRTY food, mmmkay?
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