Flipz is a brand of chocolate pretzels. I just bought a bag of the milk chocolate ones as an impulse buy the last time I went grocery shopping. I like stuff like that, but I don’t usually eat much of it, because it’s addictive and fattening. So imagine my surprise when I took a gander at the back of the packaging and I saw these little quotes following the advertising line: “So completely irresistible, you’ll make up excuses to eat ‘em.” (<I added the comma, as I felt it needed it.) The quoted excuses are as follows:
“With all the holes, you can eat more.”
“I had a light lunch.”
“Why don’t I take two in case I lose one.” (sic.) (<That period ought to be a question mark, but whatever.)
Um, I must say that I think these quotes are, and indeed the whole approach seems to me to be counter-productive. Had I seen this stuff printed on the back of the bag, it would have reminded me of all, or at least many, of the reasons why I shouldn’t buy it. As it was, I didn’t notice it until I got it home, and at the store all I thought of was: “Yummy! Chocolate pretzels! I’ll get some.” I didn’t really think of anything else, but their packaging tried to warn me about the fact that they’re bad enough for me that I’ll need to think up excuses to allow myself to eat any of them, etc.
This is not a good strategy for selling products, revealing that they are bad for you and addictive. But whatever: perhaps this is a new government-mandated warning label for anything that tastes good from now on. With all the other big-government mandated nanny-state stuff extending its reach into our lives, it would hardly be a surprise.
Oh, yes: and I almost forgot: After the quotes, it ended with the tagline: “What’s your excuse?”
Actually, I didn’t have an excuse; I had a reason, which was that I like chocolate pretzels; plus I hadn’t had them in awhile, and they were placed right next to the check-out counter, so I got some. Then the packaging makes me feel guilty about buying them? Dumb, self-defeating marketing, probably thought up by someone who hates such products because they’re part of the food police, or because they’re jealous that they’re too overweight to be able to eat them. But the advertising department of this product should have noticed this and put the brakes on it. Oh, well; maybe they think all chocolate products are sinful indulgences that must be atoned for as well.
