Sunday, March 28, 2010

Send No Money Without Delay

Double negatives. In general, they don’t not confuse readers, so it’s best to never not use positive statements.

I got this envelope from AAA the other day.

Let’s take a close-up look at the envelope copy. Before we get to the double negative statement, here’s the main teaser copy. Talk about cumbersome and confusing. Can you easily parse this statement?

That’s 40+ words! How about this?

Eligibility Confirmed: Valuable benefits reserved for you and your family. Return the enclosed certificate within 10 days.

That’s only 16 words and presents basically the same message.

But what’s really confusing is the text in red:

I guess it’s really urgent that I not send money to the American Automobile Association. Don’t worry AAA. I won’t delay. You won’t be receiving any of my money anytime soon.

Oh, and please don’t delay not sending me any more confusing envelopes.

Posted by Richard Bloch

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