The ad in last week's Woodstock Independent read
ANY SIZE CONE DIPPED
FREE
Sept. 21-28
Maybe I should have tried to figure out sooner how FREE couldn't possibly mean free. I figured that DQ was coming to the end of another great season in Woodstock and had figured out a way to thank its loyal customers.
But why would Dairy Queen try to trick readers?
So not only did the (pleasant) refusal by the clerk leave a bad taste in my mouth, I didn't buy anything today; and it will probably stick with me for a while. Will I remember it each time I drive by DQ? Or each time I go there next year?
Somehow I think, if I were the owner of the DQ and customers started asking for something free because of the way I had written the ad, I'd try to salvage their business and their goodwill. (Didn't anyone at the Woodstock Independent see the problem with the ad and ask the owner or his ad agency if they really meant "free"?
Maybe the employees could have been trained to say something like, "We're really sorry about the ad and, to make it up to you, we'd like to give you a free cone. And could I interest you in a quart or half-gallon of ice cream to take home?"
Of course, now I can see that the ad means "any size cone" dipped free.
2 comments:
The best thing to do would be to edit this article down to one sentence:
"Of course, now I can see that the ad means "any size cone" dipped free."
Completely agree with John.
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