Fine pints of copywriting

Apr 22, 2004

Recently I read an ad (promoting a fitness club) in the newspaper that went somewhat like this:
“I got a new job, I got a new house, I got new friends, I got a new shape, I got a new life…”
I wonder how you “get” friends and what message the copywriter wanted to convey. You don’t get friends, you make friends and there is a big difference. Only selfish people get friends just to have them, which indicates that the ad copy was written for averagely selfish people who go on getting friends.
This shows how small words can make big difference. This ad, as a customer, completely puts me off because it gives scant regard to friendship on one hand, and to my previous life on the other. These are very fine points and only those people who are really involved with putting words into ad messages can understand their far reaching implications.