Weasel Words
Adapted from
“With These Words I Can Sell You
Anything” by William Lutz
Weasel Words
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Word that appear to say one thing when in
fact they say the opposite or nothing at all
These words are used in advertising to
misrepresent, mislead, and deceive
consumers
This language debases reality and is a form
of the Orwellian “doublespeak”
Why do advertisers use weasel words?
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They need to convince the consumer that
their product is really different from other,
similar products
They must avoid making fraudulent claims
due to FTC regulations
Where does the name come from?
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The weasel finds eggs to eat in the nests of
other animals.
It will make a small hole in the egg, suck
out the insides, then place the egg back in
the nest.
Only on close examination is the egg found
to be hollow
“Help”
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Help means to aid or assist
It does not mean to conquer, stop,
eliminate, end, solve, heal, cure, etc.
But “help” qualifies any word coming after
it, especially a dramatic one making a
dramatic claim.
You read into the ad a message that the ad
does not contain.
“helps relieve cold symptoms fast”
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Remember it will only “aid or assist”
“relieve” only means to ease, alleviate, or
mitigate NOT stop, end, or cure.
Nor does the claim say how much relieving
this medicine will do, if anything at all
It probably just contains aspirin and a
decongestant
And how long is “fast?” A minute, a week?
“helps prevent cavities”
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But it doesn’t say it will actually prevent
cavities.
Brushing your teeth regularly, avoiding
sugars in food, and flossing daily will also
help prevent cavities
“helps keep your home germ free”
It doesn’t say it actually kills germs
It doesn’t specify which germs it might kill
“Help” often combine with other action-verb
weasel words like “fight and “control”
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“Helps” control dandruff symptoms with
regular use”
Doesn’t say it will eliminate, stop, end, or
cure dandruff – just control the symptoms of
dandruff, not the cause (any shampoo does
this)
Ad leaves the symptoms undefined
What exactly is “regular use” – daily?
Weekly? Hourly?
“Help” phrases
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Helps stop
Helps overcome
Helps eliminate
Helps you feel
Helps you look
“Virtually”
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A word so innocent that most people don’t pay
attention to it when it is used in an advertising
claim
Appears to make specific, definite promises when
there is no promise
It means “in essence or effect, although NOT IN
FACT
It does not mean “almost” or “just about the same
as”
1971 court case – birth control pills
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Eli Lilly and Co. included pamphlet that
stated “when taken as directed, the tablets
offer virtually 100% protection”
Woman became pregnant and sued, but
lost because of the word “virtually” :
according to Webster’s it means “almost
entirely” but not “absolutely”
So remember that case when you
see…
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Dishwasher detergent advertised as
“leaving dishes virtually spot free”
A television set that is “virtually trouble free”
Any appliance said to have “virtually
foolproof operation” or
“virtually never needs service”
New and Improved
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Used alone or together (most frequently used
weasel words)
“new” is restricted by regulations – six months
to as long as two years in a test market
“New” is allowed if there has been “a material
functional change” in the product
Artificial lemon scent added to a cleaning
product makes it “new” because the chemical
formula has technically changed
“Improved”
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It does NOT mean “made better”
It only means “changed” or “different from
before”
So a plastic pour spout on a box of
detergent means the product is “improved”
and an entirely new advertising campaign
is launched.
Or more fruit is added to cereal
“Improved” is subjective
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Each person may see “improvement”
differently
If a manufacturer changes the shape of a
stick deodorant, the shape may be
improved, but not the function.
So you see – the “improvements” may be
inconsequential and endless, providing
myriad opportunities for ad campaigns
Other words for “new”
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“Introducing improved Tide” leading into a new
campaign
“Now there’s Sinex” which simply means Sinex is
available
“Today’s Chevrolet”
“Presenting Dristan
“A fresh way to start the day”
An endless list of ways to say “new without really
saying it.
“Acts Fast”
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This word, in addition to “works” brings
action to the product and advertising claim
Cough syrup that “acts on the cough
control center” just means it will do
something or perform an action. What does
it do? The ad doesn’t say. By the way,
where is the “cough control center?” Was
that part of biology class?
“Act” says nothing
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It is a word empty of any specific meaning
The ads are always careful not to specify
exactly what “act” the product performs
If a brand of aspirin claims to “act fast” for
headache relief does it really mean it is
better than any other aspirin?
Maybe it just dissolves quickly
Similar to “acts” is “works”
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Both words often interchangeable
“works against”
“works like”
“works for”
“works longer
It is a meaningless verb used to make you
think that this product really does
something and maybe is even special
Like Magic
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Used when advertiser want you to stop
thinking about the product and start thinking
about something bigger, better, and more
attractive than the product
“For skin like peaches and cream” doesn’t’
say it will give you peaches and cream skin
If you think the cream will give you soft,
smooth, youthful skin, you are the one who
has read that meaning into the ad.
Another example
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The wine that claims “it’s like taking a trip to
France” wants you to think about a
romantic evening in Paris, not about the
taste or how expensive it might be
Most famous example
“Winston tastes good like a cigarette
should”
Taste is a matter of personal judgment
Analyzing “doublespeak”
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“Crest can be of significant value”
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The word “significant” draws your attention
to the word “value” and makes you forget
that the ad only claims that Crest “can be”
of value. It doesn’t say that it IS of value or
is ABLE or POSSIBLE to be of value
“Up to”
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“Up to 50% off”
The store only has to reduce a few items by
50% to say this. Everything else can be
reduced far less or not at all. Also ask
yourself 50% off what? The manufacturer’s
list price, which is the highest possible
price? Was the price artificially inflated and
then reduced?
“Up to”
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Sometimes “up to” expresses an ideal
situation.
The medicine works “up to ten times faster”
The battery that lasts “up to twice as long”
The soap that gets you “up to twice as
clean”
Unfinished words
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Similar to “up to” advertising
The battery lasts “twice as long” (as what? A
birthday candle? A tank of gas? The comparison
is never finished)
The implication is that it lasts twice as long as any
battery made by another manufacturer, but it
doesn’t really state that claim. You read it into the
ad, often aided by visual images.
“Twice as much of the pain reliever
doctors recommend most.”
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What pain reliever does it contain twice as
much of?
(By the way, it is aspirin.)
But how much is twice the amount?
Twice of what amount?
“nobody reduces fever faster” just means
that the product isn’t any better than any
other product in its class.
“You can be sure it it’s Westinghouse”
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Just exactly what it is you can be sure of is never
mentioned
“Magnavox gives you more”
Doesn’t tell you what you get more of
More value?
More television?
More than they gave you before?
Sounds nice and means nothing, but the visual
image will fill in the blanks for you.
“Ford LTD 700% quieter”
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What is Ford claiming with these unfinished
words?
What was the Ford LTD quieter than? Images
flashed by of a Cadillac, a Mercedes Benz, and a
BMW.
The FTC asked Ford what it meant and it said the
inside of the LTD was 700% quieter than the
outside.
No duh, but is that what the ad suggests?
Combining weasel words
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Some ads don’t fall into a neat category.
Coffee-Mate gives coffee more body, more flavor
But who sets the standards for body or flavor? It is
purely subjective
Taster’s Choice “looks, smells, tastes like ground
roast coffee” The word “like” does not make any
actual connection between the product and the
quality. But It sure sound good!
Who are the doctors?
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Next time you see a doctor’s recommend…
ad, ask yourself
Who are these doctors?
How many of them are there?
What kind of doctors are they?
What are their qualification?
What other pain relievers did they
recommend?
Estee Lauder’s Night Repair cream
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“Night Repair was scientifically
formulated in Estee Lauder’s U.S.
laboratories as part of the Swiss AgeControlling Skincare Program: Although
only nature controls the aging process, this
program helps control the signs of aging
and encourages skin to look and feel
younger. (not thrown together; a program
instead of a cream; younger than what?)
Beware the memorable line
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“relief” is spelled r-o-l-a-i-d-s
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Would you rather have a Buick?
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If you can’t trust Prestone, who can you
trust? (rhetorical questions)
A more subtle approach
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The ad that proclaims a supposedly unique
quality for a product, but the quality isn’t
really unique.
“If it doesn’t say Goodyear, it can’t by
ployglas”
Goodyear copyrighted that trade name. Any
other tire manufacturer could make exactly
the same tire but not call it “polyglas” – it’s
just a fiberglass-reinforced tire
Beware scientific doublespeak
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“Certs contains a sparkling drop of Retsyn.”
So what?
What is retsyn?
What does it do?
What is so special about it?
Doublespeak practice
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Domino’s Pizza: “Because nobody delivers better”
SINUTAB: “It can stop the pain”
TUMS: “The stronger acid neutralizer”
MAXIMUM STRENGTH DRISTAN: “Strong
medicine for tough sinus colds”
LISTERMINT: “Making your mouth a cleaner
place”
NUPRIN: “Little. Yellow. Different. Better”
ANACIN: “Better relief”