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Looked Into
Benjamin Chambers writes:
Might just be me, but I don't hear people grumble as much as I used to about "truth in advertising." Maybe it's because nobody expects it anymore. As with campaign finance reform, we all wish it could happen, but are afraid to admit we could be so childishly naive.
Well, be careful what you wish for there, in the secret spaces of the heart. Here's a couple of examples from the October 1, 1966 issue of The New Yorker of why honesty might not always be the best policy. First, a mild, "Yeah-we-screw-up," from Avis (click for full-size):
Then, the major-league, all-our-warts example, from Renault (click to see all the fun):
Had it come in the mail, TNY would've classed this ad copy under "Sales Pitches We Never Finished Reading." Check it out, though: 35 mpg. Where can I get one?
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Emdashes, founded December 2004, is a place where keen and dedicated readers of The New Yorker, past and present, can find related news and commentary: about people, subjects, and ideas within the magazine, and events and conversations outside its pages. Learn more about us and our contributors.
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A few clips
- Report: Learning to read with comic books edited by Françoise Mouly (for Print)
- Interview: Designer Eleanor Grosch (for Print)
- Review: Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life by Linda H. Davis (for Newsday)
- Review: The King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game by Paul Hoffman (for Newsday)
- Review: Does The New Republic's recent redesign mean a change of tune? (for Print)
- Proposal: A more attractive MetroCard (for A Brief Message)
- Interview: James Surowiecki on what's next for the wisdom of crowds (for Assignment Zero)
- Report: Eustace Tilley spruces up for The New Yorker's website redesign (for Print)
- Feature: Muslim immigration iconography in the Netherlands (for Print)
- Review: books about various New Yorker cartoonists by Liza Donnelly and Iain Topliss (for Newsday)
- Profile: screenwriter and novelist Joe Keenan (for Newsday)
- Review: The Complete New Yorker (for Print)
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They say that dashes “are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex.” Emdashes—like em dashes—emphasizes what’s between: in particular, between the lines, covers, and issues of a magazine close to my heart.
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Comments
"You can do it girls" -- ha ha, posts for condescension!
Also, the beginning of the Renault ad strikes me as more than a little passive-aggressive. "Oh, sorry, we didn't know Americans were terrible drivers and too dumb to fix their own cars!"
I know, that "You can do it, girls" bugged me, too. The other thing I thought was funny about the Avis ad was that it seemed a bit of a non sequitur to propose a solution (getting one's rental ticket filled out in 2 minutes) that had nothing to do with the cited problems, such as mud in the trunk, or a flat spare tire. Granted, those were only examples, but I wasn't reassured.
Ouch, i did not think that "You can do it, girls" had any touch of condescension that i would not have brought myself—and i was not a bit bugged by it… what's wrong with me? (i mean, except being French… :-)
PS: Sorry for the Renault.