Monday, January 22, 2007

hyperbole go away.

Last night, hub and i were watching tv in bed, and saw a commercial for toothpaste. On the box of toothpaste, where the name of the flavor should be, was "whitening mint experience*". It's just toothpaste, people. My head is shaking. Can you see the shaking?

At that moment, I fell more in love with knitting. Because nobody advertises their yarn as a "life-enhancing finger-soothing experience". It's all just yarn. Pick what you love, what you need, whatever suits the project, without the ridiculous promise that this yarn will be different...it will make your world better. It's just yarn. And that's more than enough.

I salute the knitting world for avoiding unnecessary hyperbole in advertising. I love you guys.

*i checked at the drug store this evening. that same flavor of toothpaste [same exact brand] in Canada is called "mint". then again, two other flavors in a different brand were labelled "mint essence" and "fresh wave". what does that mean? i don't want my mouth to taste like spearmint or salt water. you lost me.

posted by amy [Knitty] @ 10:31 AM 11 comments

Comments:
While I'm with you on this, you're not *entirely* right that no one is saying yarn won't make your life better. I know of at least two brands of yarn that advertise themselves as having additives that will make your hands smoother, healthier, etc.

Personally, I think yarn should be yarn too.
# posted by Anonymous Tina M. : 10:59 PM, January 22, 2007
 
Yarn ads don't have to say the yarn will make our lives better, we already know it will, since that is an inherent quality of yarn... :)
# posted by Anonymous Tove : 3:08 AM, January 23, 2007
 
amen
# posted by Blogger Kari : 6:59 AM, January 23, 2007
 
LOL! I know a few who act like their yarn is the end all and be all out there - it's the most luxurious, it's shine is fantastic, etc. etc. etc. And it does make me cringe - like you say, yarn is yarn and I *try* not to sound too bad with my handdyed yarns too...LOL
# posted by Anonymous Roxanne : 8:00 AM, January 23, 2007
 
I had a Chinese professor I worked with translate the label on Jade Sapphire's Lacey Lamb (before they changed the label) and it actually DID say stuff like that "Yarn of much life happiness" and "Anti-bacterial!" It was pretty amusing.
# posted by Blogger Miriam : 8:26 AM, January 23, 2007
 
As a note: Seacell yarn recently took the knitting community by storm and it's most highly touted characteristic was it's "healing properties" that would soothe dry skin and better one's health.

Which, later it was concluded that there was so few seacell in the yarn, that the effects would be negligible.
# posted by Anonymous Miki : 9:54 AM, January 23, 2007
 
Perhaps it would be more apt if yarn was advertised as containing a sense-enhancing cashmere experience.

Perhaps it wasn't called "mint" in the US version (I assume that's what you were watching) because it didn't fall within the FDA definition of "mint".
# posted by Anonymous j. : 9:56 AM, January 23, 2007
 
Were do advertisers come up with this stuff? Toilet paper all ways cracks me up...bath tissue!?! could you imagine taking a bath with that? The other day I had to call my husband into the room because this commercial called it personal care tissue! Are we becoming that sensitive that we can't call tp for what it really is?!?

Good yarn on the other hand should promote its calming effects! (if it wasn't calming my 3 sons would either be in a never ending time out or I would have no hair!!)
# posted by Anonymous Shelly : 10:45 PM, January 23, 2007
 
Knitty surprises on the other hand may just be life changing...just sayin'. LOL
# posted by Blogger fibersnob : 9:43 AM, January 24, 2007
 
When you feel blah, sometimes it seems like some nice yarn would have the power to improve your life!
# posted by Blogger LadyLungDoc : 7:37 PM, January 25, 2007
 
Yup, funny tasting toothpaste! Freshwave, indeed! (with british accent) However, I have had the experience in Italy of trying their toothpaste. Apparently, here we want minty. There, they want salty! It's like having a mouthful of baking soda. Yuck! whan I told my relatives that their toothpaste flavours sucked, they though I was crazy! Until I gave them some of mine to try....
# posted by Blogger Carol : 4:09 PM, January 28, 2007
 
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