| A | B |
|---|
| weasel word | Adjectives that negate or squirm out of the claim |
| unfinished claim | The ad claims it is "better" or "stronger" etc., but does not finish the comparison. More than what? |
| water is wet | The ad claims the product has a characteristic common to all products in that category. |
| testimonial | Either a famous person or an authority in the field claims the product is good. |
| so what | The product has a feature that makes no difference whatever to the function of the product. Honda makes you smile. |
| transfer | Associate one image with another so that the target associates the two, either positively or negatively. |
| cardstacking | Select only certain words or images from a source to create a biased image. |
| glittering generalities | Positive statements so broad as to be impossible to prove. |
| inductive leap | A generalization based on insuffient data to be accurate or true. |
| scapegoat | Choosing on stereotypic group to blame everyone's problems on. |
| either-or | Reducing a comple, many-sided issue to only two positions or choices. You failed: are you stupid or lazy? |
| smear campaign | deliberate attempt to ruin an opponent's reputation or credibility by namecalling or inuendo. |
| rhetorical question | A question which stirs emotions but with no expected or prove answer. |
| bandwagon | Appeals to our need to belong, be in the "in-crowd" |
| plain folks | An emotional appeal to our down-home or ordinary folks feelings. |
| snob appeal | Appeals to man's desire to feel superior to others |
| sex appeal | A deliberate attempt to use a sexy image to sell a product not related to erotic merchandise. |
| hyperbole | An exaggerated claim |
| connotation | Meanings we associate with a word as a society that are not necessarily defined in a dictionary. |
| pun | More than one meaning of a word is implied either visually or verbally. |
| euphemism | Inventing a new, more positive phrase to replace a negative one. |
| loaded words | These words or phrases are so "hot" that they automatically trigger a strong response. |
