1. Weasel Words: The Art of Saying Nothing At All- William Lutz
Cut out a magazine ad that uses “Weasel Words”, beneath it write a letter to the people/person who may be interested in this advertized product. Your job is to warn them, in one way or another, that the ad for the product they are interested in may be either misleading or exaggerated. Explain to them very briefly what weasel words are, and how one or more of them may be used in this particular ad. Explain to them what might be a more appropriate phrase that better depicts the product. Remember to introduce yourself as a concerned citizen.
To whom it may concern, my name is , I’m a student at AUB and a concerned citizen. Recently I have seen this ad circulating on different websites and more than one magazine. I felt the need to express my opinion towards this ad and warn the people who are interested in purchasing this product. Therefore, I am writing this letter to inform you about the advertising tricks used in this commercial, more precisely the use of “weasel words”.
The expression “weasel word” comes from the egg eating habit of weasels: they will suck out the inside of the egg leaving it appear whole. The same here is present in the world of advertisements. Weasel words are misleading and vaguely carry any meaning at all.
In this ad, people are subjected to believe that this product will act fast, “in only minutes”. Well, clearly this ad is over-exaggerated because there is no way that a product will have such an effect as in the picture shown, and certainly not in minutes.
A more appropriate phrase would be in my opinion: tired of your wrinkles? Try Dermitage.
Here, it’s clear that Dermitage is a product which its use is to get rid of wrinkles without any misleading ideas.
I would greatly appreciate you keeping me informed about any future developments in this case.
Sincerely yours,
.
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