I CAN SELL YOU ANYTHING: or, How I Made Your Favorite T. V. Commercials with Minimum Truth and Maximum Consequences

by Paul Stevens ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1972

Stevens, an advertising executive, has produced an endless compendium of tricks of the commercial trade. There are ""weasel"" words that seem to mean things they really don't (like ""virtually"" which doesn't mean ""almost"" but ""not in fact"") or have no specific meaning (like ""enriched"" or ""flavor""). There are elusive and vague claims about the product. There are product demonstrations that may be deceptive or simply irrelevant. There are appeals to emotion. And there are legalisms (""best"" means as good as the other products in the category). And so on and so on. This may have some value as a practical handbook on how to find the occasional grain of virtual truth in the commercial chaff, but Stevens' worldlier-than-thou attitude is extremely abrasive and the book is padded with more examples of ads than the average afternoon TV show.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Peter H. Wyden -- dist. by McKay

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1972

Categories: NONFICTION