Enjoying euphemisms; messaging that sounds good makes all the difference
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008It’s all about the presentation.
I started thinking about this when we got a letter from our landlord at the Troy office describing the elevator cars getting remodeled soon.
You see, according to the landlord, these are not just elevator cars my friend, these are elevator passenger cabs. Oh, and it’s not a remodeling job either, it’s a “refurbishment project” that will “incorporate elegant wood walls enhanced by new lighting and ceiling design.”
Wow, sounds like some place I’d like to spend some time. Of course, I can’t help but wonder if the “refurbishment” will also take care of the creaking cables and the hope-you-can-keep-your-lunch-down lurch that occurs every time you stop at a floor.
People can be easily distracted into believing anything if presented in the right way, which is even truer if you’re a guy. According to Men’s Health magazine, a recent study in the journal NeuroReport says men act a little crazier around beautiful women. Gee, really? Pass some of that government funding over here!
Apparently, they tested some guys and found out that they made higher bets on games of random chance while viewing images of sexy women. (Insert Eliot Spitzer joke here…)
The control test was made by having guys place bets while also viewing images of snakes and staplers. Those were deemed by the researchers as “scary” and “neutral” images, and led to the men being more cautious with their bets.
See? It is all about the presentation. The poor snakes never catch a break and staplers, well, unless you’re a red Swingline your admirers are probably few and far between. If only they had a better PR firm…or a shot at a “refurbishment project.”
