ADVERTISING CLAIMS
| Name
|
Description
|
Example
|
|
Testimonial
|
The endorsement of a product by a well-known
person or organisation
|
"Joe Hockey uses Face Power aftershave lotion"
|
|
Transfer
|
The transfer of the
qualities of one idea to those of another
|
"Smoke Mint Fresh and get a breath of springtime."
|
|
Plain folks
|
The technique of talking
down to the masses in
order to appear to be
one of them.
|
"Use Whitewash. It makes your clothes as white
as Momma used to wash them."
|
|
Bandwagon
|
The
suggestion that everyone is doing it.
|
"Sparkle! Canada's #1 best-seller"
|
|
Snob
appeal
|
The association of a desirable life. |
"She lives in Oakville.
She spends her winters in the Swiss
Alps. She drives a Mercmobile.
Her
perfume - TUSK."
|
| Fads
and Figures
|
The implication that
figures and statistics
|
"No-ache Pills - the only headache tablet with
30 mg of pain reliever
|
|
Hidden
fears
|
The exploitation of an individual's fears and insecurities
|
"Don't lose friends. Use Sweet-Pit the friendly
deodorant"
|
|
Repetition
|
The constant statement of an idea in order to fix the
image of a product in a person's mind
|
"Finally - Natural Glow! The natural shampoo with
nature's ingredients to bring out the natural glow in you."
|
| Magic
ingredients
|
The implication that a product's effectiveness is scientifically
based
|
"Drink Eau-Boire, the mineral water with H20."
|
| Weasel
words
|
The use of vague qualifiers or disclaimers, such as
"helps'; "fights'; ""up to", and "Virtually"
to mislead the consumer into thinking the product is better than
it really is
|
"Use Zit-Kwit the only skin medicine that helps
fight virtually all skin blemishes."
|
From Jeffrey Schrank,
"The Language of Advertising Claims", Media and Methods
http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/comp/ad-claims.html