Clinically Proven to Annoy The Hell Out of Me (original) (raw)

Clinically Proven!! The two most annoying words used in advertising today. Used in—guess what—diet ads (And face cremes, of course). The worst offender used to be for a diet aid Lipozene. It must have been such an over the top fraud that the ad was pulled but it was regularly featured on the Spike network—not exactly known for it's erudite ads or programming.
Google the 14 most effective words in advertising and you will see why so many advertisers are using the words clinically proven but when Dr. Scholl's Gel Pads are getting in on using Clinically Proven!!, it's gone too far.

The only ad that has used the words facetiously (I hope) is the Pedigree dog food ads where they show 30 seconds of a dog munching on their dry food products. The two words are the only thing that keep this ad from being 100% irritating.

I have maintained for a while that advertisers who use Clinically Proven!! are unsure the public will by their product or are completely trying to pull a fast one.

Diet ads are in the latter category.

In fact, their claims got so far fetched that in North America, advertisers were forced to change their claims to add "diet and exercise recommended" in a big asterisk, or outright announcing "…that with diet and exercise…" a la Slim Quick ads.

Yes, and everybody knows that fame and $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee.

I worked in the advertising industry, so I am even more cynical than usual about their angles. Guaranteed!!!

If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.
George Carlin