I came across this advertisement in SkyMall magazine. It displays a luxury massage chair made by Inada called Sogno DreamWave. There were several things that caught my eye in this ad. The first is obvious: the large text at the top, which reads, "The One Gift That Transcends All Others." Wow! The advertiser is really trying to put the product out there as the singular item that wins the prize for best gift. During the holiday season, everyone is looking for the perfect present to give to their loved ones, so the ad is trying to supply consumers with that gift. It brings up some questions: What other gifts are there? What makes this one so special? The only real answer that the ad provides is that this product "transcends" its competitors. That's a pretty vague word. And, it doesn't really justify the advertiser's claim that the product is the best gift around.
The second thing I noticed about this ad was the actual picture of the massage chair. This may seem trivial, but the look on that guy's face is hard to believe. He looks like he's "transcending" the real world himself! Can a massage chair (especially one that probably wasn't moving when the photo was taken) really make someone that blissful? It seems doubtful, especially considering the lack of real evidence that the chair is super great.
Finally, when I read the bullet points below, I noticed an example of weasel words. It describes the product as "the most comprehensive massage possible." This sort of general statement is in keeping with the ad's overall tone -- it has nothing to back it up. There could definitely be other massage chairs that are equal or better when compared to the Sogno DreamWave. If the advertiser had taken the time to do some research, they may have been able to come up with solid statistics to justify their point. Especially for an $8,000 purchase.
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