Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Truth and Falsity in Advertising

Heard on NPR yesterday that New York mayor and uber-rich guy Michael Bloomberg broke with his tradition and did not hand out full-sized candy bars to trick-or-treaters this year, but just the little ones. Makes you think about truth in advertising because anytime a kid comes across a house that gives the big chocolate bars, extreme joy results. Yet what do they call the little ones? "Fun-sized." Yes, because nothing is more fun than getting less candy. It's homeopathic confectionery: the less you get of something that makes you happy, the happier you will actually be.

On the other hand, the brand that I've always thought had the most accurate name for their product: Laz-y-boy recliners. When your backside is too big to fit in a normal chair...Laz-y-boy.

Other examples of truth or falsity in advertising?