Euphemism at the shops … we can’t talk about price increases
There was a lovely little sign at my local supermarket yesterday wish I'd had the sense to photograph itIt was next to the price tag for tomatoes, and went something like this:Due to unseasonably dry weather in the growing regions, tomatoes are in short supply This has caused prices to firm We apologise for any inconvenienceTo me, a 'firm' price is a stable one - a price that's unlikely to change quickly But, of course, in this situation, 'firm' is a euphemism for 'increase' (actually,...
Read moreCreating intrigue to capture attention
Sometimes it makes sense to intrigue an audience A cover that's a bit cryptic and says 'can you guess what I'm about' might be just what's needed to persuade the audience to take notice - particularly in a cluttered environment when audiences don't know that you have something interesting to sayBut intrigue only works when there's a pay-off There needs to be a moment of discovery - when the audience makes the connection and realises the logic behind the message That's the moment when the...
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