Why does this work?

[Hooterdog]

Advertisers like to use deceptive bullshit phrases that really say nothing. . .like "up to" and "as much as". If an add says, "save up to 50%", what does that say? It doesn't say you save 50%, it only says you won't save more than 50%.

Or, how about the cereal add I just saw on TV. . . "lose up to 6 pounds in 2 weeks, guaranteed". That only says they guarantee you won't lose more than 6 pounds, nothing else. You see this kind of deception everywhere, so it obviously works, but I wonder why?

[Scootermuze]

most people's brain registers the last part of it. It's the only actual figure that speaks of a result. Just like the Penis Pill line says -up to 3"- .. it's the 3" that registers.

[Slick]

Ha ha ha, you're just like me, I drive my wife nuts with comercials, especially what's written in the fine print on the bottom of the screen.

One kind of comercial that REALLY pisses me off is Slim Fast. The comercial has people saying stuff like "I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks", then in the fine print on the screen, it says "results not typical". Well FUCK, if those results aren't typical, it means that the chances of you getting those results if pretty fucking rare, ha ha ha.

[Hooterdog]

There was a commercial on the golf channel for a putter . . .
"knock off up to 8 strokes on your score . . . guaranteed"
doesn't mean anything!

[Gemini]

Same reason that something people basically KNOW sells for 29 cents, sells faster when its marked 3 / $1. It appears cheaper since everyone knows more for a buck just HAS to save.

[amadman]

Get up to <font color="#00cd00" size="6">%50 off!</font>

[Hooterdog]

My buddy runs a Lazy-Boy shop, and his favorite promo is a "two-fer" sale. "2 great chairs for 1 great price". He doesn't even discount the chairs . . . and he sells 2 at a time!

[Chris R]

People are just morons.

"Nothing has been proven more effective than..."

and stuff like that just cracks me up.