I love collecting words and expressions commonly found in marketing copy that seem full of meaning, but that are in reality vacuous and misleading. Here my first in the series:
limited edition (adj.)
What’s great about “limited edition” is that you can use it on everything, because everything will no longer be made at some point in the future. To paraphrase Keynes, in the long run we are all limited editions.
Marketing copy: Get your limited edition bottle of Coca-Cola today!
Translation: When the sun expands and consumes the Earth, causing all life as we know it to be extinguished, we will probably stop making these attractive Coke bottles.
Marketing copy: This is a limited edition Thomas Kinkade giclee print.
Translation: You should only be so lucky as to never see this hideous non-painting again.
One thought on “Marketing Weasel Words #1: Limited Edition”
Very perceptive, and made me laugh.