Blog #4 Wm Campbell

Blog #4-Campbell

In his essay, “With these words I can Sell You Anything,” William Lutz analyzes how certain words and combined phrases are used by advertisers to sell their products and ideas to unsuspecting consumers. Lutz has chosen specific examples of words and phrases and calls them “weasel words.” (Lutz, p.31) With many like products on the market in today’s consumer world, advertisers go to great length to show how their products differ from those of the many competitors. Because of existing consumer protection laws, advertisers have to be careful how they word their ads and what claims they make about the target products. To avoid making false claims, certain “weasel words” are used and these words and phrases appear to make bold claims but when analyzed really make no claims at all. Lutz describes the most used “weasel words,” looks at the true dictionary meaning of each, and then shows how they are used connotatively to the advantage of the advertisers. He warns the consumer that each word in an ad is chosen carefully for a specific reason, and while “weasel words” are dangerous, all words must be looked at critically. He points out it is the consumer’s job to figure out what each word is doing in a certain ad.
Mr. Lutz has chosen the several familiar words most commonly used in advertising which mislead and deceive the consumer. These words are “help,” “virtually,” “new,” “improved,” “acts fast,” “like,” “magic,” “better,” “extra,” “fresh,” “clean,” “beautiful,” “free,” “good,” “clean,” “great,” and “light.” He shows in great detail how they “appear to be making a claim for a product when in fact they are making no claim at all.” (Lutz, p. 32) Lutz’s defines these words as “weasel words” which stems from the weasel’s penchant of raiding a hen house, piercing the eggs found there, sucking out the contents, and leaving the empty shells behind. An example of this would be the use of “helps relieve” in an ad. Consumers who read the ad often brush over the simple word “helps” and read the stronger word ”relieves”, and this dramatic word ends up being all that is remembered. Lutz shows that the word “help,” which he describes as the number one “weasel word,” only means to aid and does not promise to end or cure or solve. Likewise, the word “relieve” means only to ease and makes no promise to stop or end. “New and improved” is another example of advertising doublespeak. Lutz explains that while there are certain requirements placed on the manufacturer to have its products classified as “new” or “improved,” these requirements are small and often are never challenged. Because of this, “new and improved” only means slightly different and not necessarily better. It could mean that the product is more expensive, though. So, when translated literally, these ads are not really saying anything and are like the empty egg shells.
Lutz identified his subject clearly with the use of many specific examples of “weasel words” and their literal translation, and this helped the essay to be very instructive. His understanding of the world of language and visuals in advertising was presented in a convincing and factual manner. This essay of definition was written somewhat informally in the second person and was directed personally to the reader, often in the form of questions that the reader should ask when looking at an ad. This effectively draws in the reader and asks that as consumers we think about what we see and hear in ads. As any consumers are suspicious and critical of the ways advertisers use “doublespeak” and attempt to dictate values, Lutz suggests, “Only by becoming an active, critical consumer of the doublespeak of advertising will you ever be able to cut through the doublespeak and discover what the ad is really saying.” (Lutz, p.38)

Works Cited

William Lutz, “With These Words I Can Sell You Anything.” Doublespeak, HarperCollins, 1989.