Monday, January 5, 2009

Misadventures in Advertising, Pt. 1: Idiom Idiocy


This ad appeared in the Nov. 11-17 edition of
Wilmington, NC's Encore. It appears to be an advertisement for some kind of gift basket in the shape of Santa-esque trousers. Though, honestly, of greater concern is the gross misuse of the idiom "to fill one's shoes," which has been reinterpreted here as "Fill Santa's Pants!"



Yes, I get it. You have taken what were once Santa's pants (altered into shorts?) and filled them with "gourmet" gifts (though, if I may, I'm fairly certain that to qualify as "gourmet" the items in question are precluded from delivery in pants), and the sales pitch is presented to the seller as a clever twist on a popular saying... almost. Might I make a few suggestions?

"Need to fill Santa's shoes? Try filling his pants!"

"Gift baskets as big as Santa's waistline!"

"Is that a bottle of wine...?"

Okay, so maybe those aren't much better, but let's face it: you're selling coffee beans out of Santa's crotch. Options are limited. Temptations Everyday Gourmet cautioned per Sec. B-1 for writing a slogan and not checking it twice.

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