Do Superlatives work on you any more?

[mythusmage]

In this business "It's readable" counts for a lot.

 

[Greg K]

Superlatives done in advertisting of a product have never worked on me if the company uses "Greatest", "Best" etc. Like some others here, they make me suspicious. In fact, more often than not they will immediately turn me off of a product.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

One of my favorite blurbs is one I wrote myself:

"Hey, what do you want for the price of a pack of smokes and a 40 oz beer? You get 20 quick encounters and the stat blocks for less than an hours wages.

It's when you need it RIGHT NOW, not after the Paladin's player has just reenacted a light saber duel with your 9-iron and killed your wife's parakeet."

We hear that McDonald's hamburgers are the greatest thing ever cooked while they show something we all know good and damn well will never be found inside McDonald's as a representation.

We hear how every movie is the greatest thing on earth. (Gigli? Come on, that thing was a waste of the photon's use to make light)

How every band is the greatest thing ever.

It's all hype. Sometimes I start wondering how much the name really matters to reviewers too.

For those that doubt it...

Epic.
Level.
Handbook.

Great reviews.
Crack dealers made big money off reviewers.

So if it says "Extreme" I figure it's for 20 year olds who are determined to be edgy and cool.

But then, I'll also a cynical jerk.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

The one that gets me as that I'm in the military and at the food courts in the on-base malls they have Anthony's Pizza "World's Greatest Pizza." The stuff is garbage and I wonder, who the f*ck do they think they're kidding? How do you have the right to even display that on your sign when you know good and well there are fifty different restaurants that make a higher quality product? No advertising should be allowed to use world's greatest or best, or even nation's greatest or best unless they've beat all competition in a product test across that area. Otherwise it's almost insulting to the consumer.

There's a pizza place in my hometown that has, in fact, won awards that make it the world's greatest pizza. At least, for a couple of years it was.

 

[Dagger75]

EXTREME Explorer is really lame. If I had my own EXTREME Eberron Book I would white that out.

I am tired of movies that aren't even out yet being touted as oscar winners, the best movie ever.

That Spielberg movie is already slated as winning the oscar for Best Picture. HE IS STILL FILMING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then thar Russle Crowe/Ron Howard boxing movie was supposed to be great. The clouds would part and Heaven itself would shine down upon this movie it was so good. I think it made all of $4.

An for movies, in 4 months there will be a ton of Marching with <insert animal here> movies with ads like More Fun than a Penguin or some such.

 

[Drowbane]

I grew jaded with Buzz words and (most) Hype by around age 8. I absolutely hate commercials. As if a bunch of idiots doing a crappy skit about (insert product here) or someone talking really fast about something I don't already care about is going to make me want to go out and purchase (insert product here). BLEH

The same goes for the internet, magazine reviews, whatever. Ads are the lame. I'm sure they work on some weak-minded fools... but (generally) not me.

Sex, on the other hand... Maybe I'm shallow, but hot chics could sell me ice cubes on the North Pole.

 

[Von Ether]

I can usually tell how far away a movie is from it premiere by the ratio of actual footage you see in the trailer as compared to the amount of BIG words that flash on the screen really, really FAST! And lets not forget what those words are most of the time. ....

TERRIFYING! -- Bob Bobskins, Marmount Monthly
EVOCATIVE! -- Cindy Sales, Salina Supplement
MUST SEE! -- Musty Sea, Messenger Subliminal
EYE POPPING!!!! -- O. Weee, Hurtsville Crier
AWESOME -- .... Stoned Dude, Corner News

 

[Starman]

Then thar Russle Crowe/Ron Howard boxing movie was supposed to be great. The clouds would part and Heaven itself would shine down upon this movie it was so good. I think it made all of $4.

Don't make the mistake of confusing money made with quality. Despite it's poor performance at the box office, Cinderella Man is a fantastic movie and I hope it receives a few nominations come Oscar time.

 

[Drew]

I think its pretty cool that Green Ronin calls Mutants and Masterminds "The World's Greatest Superhero RPG." But thats a bit tongue in cheek and fits the comic book genre really well, so its an exception.

I'm also reminded of the scene in Elf where he rushes in to congratulate the people working at a cafe advertising "The World's Greatest Cup of Coffee."

 

[MerricB]

Cry Havoc: The Essential d20 Guide to War!

...or not.

Cry Havoc: An event book featuring the definitive d20 Mass Combat system

...or, d20 can't do Mass Combat, if this is definitive.

A few people may have noticed that I *really* don't like Cry Havoc. Well, my reaction to it has been made significantly worse by the lines I quote above, both of which are in the book. (On the back cover and on the title page).

Cheers!