Ouch.
And they paid (one wonders how much) for this?
I was in Denver last week. Went to a Rockies game. It was fun. (It was also cold. I like the Rockies, but I don’t like cold.) Anyway, we’re sitting in our seats, donning our new (and very spiffy) Rockies caps, wrapped in blankets, waiting to be wowed by Ubaldo, the newly returning post-injury star pitcher, when my vision is distracted by a bright, bigger-than-life banner across the stands. The banner is advertising something about Qwest and Century Link. That’s fine, whatever ~ I don’t really care, and I focus back on the game.
But wait.
My eyes flit back to the bigger-than-life sign. Somehow it’s demanding my attention… and I find that I do care. In fact, I care so much I’m appalled. Because there it is, a gaping grammatical error in full baseball-stadium-sized color for all the world to see.
And I think, “they paid for this”. They actually paid, big bucks, for this. Do they think it’s right? Do they not speak the language? (Oh, and by the way, these are communication companies…) Are they kidding me? Is our increasingly short attention-spanned society and the need for sound bites and quick one-two punch lines really more valuable than saying it right? Are we overriding “well spoken” for the “grab ’em fast” mentality?
Now I’ll admit that in the scheme of life, this is not a deal breaker. It’s not a catastrophe. It’s not “important”. But it definitely offends my inner nerd, my sense of language and yes, my professionalism! It’s not okay.
Note to Qwest and Century Link: Call me. (saxton studio) I can do it better, correctly, AND probably for a quite a few less dollars than your ad agency charged. : )
