Commentary on Advertising Grammar

I’m no advertising exec, but it seems that most of the errors in the real-world examples must stem from the brains behind the individual marketing campaigns.

When one listens to advertising on the radio or on TV, often times the dialogue is delivered in a manner of speak that would sound pretty odd on the street. It seems like this is done in order to deliver a certain “attitude” or “feel” with the ad, as well as to place special emphasis on certain words or phrases in the ad. I assume that print advertising uses similar strategies to get their message across, and thus this might be an at least partial explanation for the grammatical errors.

The “Training Table” ad seems particularly egregious, and I can only think that the attempt here is to bundle certain aspects of the sandwich together to try and improve its assumed deliciousness. It’s notable that the only two vegetables on the sandwich, in this ad, are lumped together with other less-healthy and probably tastier, greasier, and fattier food. The lettuce hides in behind the turkey, and there are also tomatoes but they seem to be suffocating under a mass of cheese, bacon, and dressing. So, while the advertisers admit to the inclusion of these second-rate sandwich participants, they are obviously quite a bit less desirable than the main attractions. Afterall, it is the Turkey-Bacon sandwich…

The “Jack and Coke” ad followers a similar vein. Although the ad is touting the delicious mix of cola and whiskey, it does so while simultaneously, and quite clearly, pushing the whiskey product. Essentially, the ad offers the reader a great way to drink the Jack Daniel’s, but only as a means to an end. The clear intent here is to sell the whiskey, and some clever omissions of standard grammar rules do the trick quite nicely!