Content Pet Peeve: One Size Fits All

One size clearly does not fit all in jeans.

I recently looked at an article online that promised to divulge the best style of jeans for each body type. As I read through each jean style on the list, when the rhetorical question “Who can wear this style of jeans?” was written, the answer was invariably “Everyone!”

I don’t know about you, but I know I don’t look good in every jean style out there. I felt cheated after reading the article. My time was wasted. I went seeking denim enlightenment, and ended up no better off at the end of the article.

On occasion I have felt the same way when reading the copy in furniture ads, specifically when I get to the phrase that says “perfect for any room.” Not every piece of furniture is perfect for every room and to suggest so in ad copy does a disservice to the customer. As a marketer in the furniture industry, the goal is to sell furniture and I understand the impulse to negate any objection that the customer might come up with. But as a thinking person with a decent sense of style, I know that not every piece will fit any room. Marketers and copy writers shouldn’t waste the customer’s time and insult their intelligence by claiming functional and stylistic versatility that isn’t there.