Here are some lies we are meant to believe. I pray none of us fall for any of this crock, but we aren’t always in complete control of our wills. (See this post for more on that problem.)
What follows is a brief list of slogans for various companies and their products. Some have since gone to that great lie graveyard, but their damage has been done. As someone once said, “The truth hurts for a little while, but a lie hurts forever.”
These statements aren’t meant to communicate truth. They’re meant to extract money from you. The marketeers who concoct them have no interest in truth, only in money. Your money. And getting your money. More of it.
The person who falls for this nonsense is a complicit in his own mugging.
Microsoft: “Your potential, our passion”
Folks, Microsoft’s driving passion is profit. They’re proud of it, as are most companies who owe their souls to Wall Street. Your potential is only tangentially interesting to them, as it affects their bottom line.
“Achieve greatness” was the promise of a video game company a while back.
Please. Can someone really achieve “greatness” playing video games? (Hint: The answer is “no”.) The likely fates for those poor souls who sit in front of video games for hours on end are obesity, brain shrinkage, and unfulfilled potential.
Walmart: “Save money, live better”
If saving money helps us live better, why is Walmart trying to convince us to spend money on their crap? Why not actually save it rather than buy stuff we don’t need? Even if saving money did make our lives better, you can bet your life (maybe you are doing so) that the virtual slave who worked on it in the developing nation where it came from is not living better.
Best Buy: “You, better” (This one is several years old, but too good to pass up.)
They didn’t mince words, did they? Many advertisers use back door tactics to convince us that their products will make us better people, but that wasn’t good enough for these slimeballs. They say it right out: “If you buy stuff from us, you will be a better person.” Anyone who bought that, deserves it. But I doubt they were any better for it.
Coke: “Open happiness”
I confess to liking Coke (q.v.) but it doesn’t make me happy any more than buying a TV from Best Buy makes me a better human being.
HSBC: “The world’s local bank”
With almost 3 trillion in assets, HSBC is the 2nd largest bank in the world. They are only local to this galaxy. If you want to give your money to an institution that’s already too big to fail, good luck. Just don’t think they’re local in any way, shape, form, or customer policy.
Now for truth in advertising:
For a refreshing change of pace, visit honestslogans.com. Better to have a good laugh at their expense than buy a lie at my own expense.
Limping in the Light 