An Outrageously Incredible, Mind-Blowing Piece on Sales Puffery
It‘s the secret weapon of advertisers everywhere. The linguistic trick that can make any product sound amazing. The marketing magic known as "puffery."
Puffery is the art of exaggeration, hyperbole and superlatives in advertising. It‘s the "best," the "greatest," the "most amazing" claims that grab attention and stick in the mind. And it‘s everywhere – once you start looking for it, you‘ll find puffery in practically every ad, commercial and product package.
But what makes puffery so powerful? How does it work, legally and ethically? And how can savvy marketers deploy it for maximum impact? Let‘s dive in and explore the wild, wonderful world of puffery.
The History of Hype
Believe it or not, puffery has been around as long as commerce itself. Wherever there‘s been something to sell, sellers have been prone to touting it as the best, the first, the most popular.
One of the earliest recorded examples comes from ancient Pompeii, where a wine merchant claimed his vino was "the finest in all of Italy." In medieval markets, vendors would shout about their wares being "fit for a king" or having "mystical healing powers."
But puffery really hit its stride with the rise of mass media advertising in the 19th century. Patent medicine ads made outrageous claims about their ability to cure everything from baldness to cancer. Ivory Soap famously advertised itself as "99 and 44/100 percent pure." And an 1889 ad for Pears‘ Soap (above) called it "matchless for the complexion" – a textbook example of puffery.
Over the next century, puffery would be perfected into an advertising artform. "The best a man can get" (Gillette). "The ultimate driving machine" (BMW). "The champagne of beers" (Miller High Life). Brands discovered that a well-puffed slogan could work wonders for sales.
The Power of Puff
So what is it about puffery that makes it so irresistible? The answer lies in some quirks of human psychology.
First, there‘s the sheer power of positive words. A famous 1970s study gave participants a description of a hypothetical electric car. For half, it was described as having a "smooth ride." For the other half, a "soft ride."
Despite describing essentially the same quality, "smooth ride" was rated significantly more appealing. Positive, sensory words like "smooth" simply feel more persuasive than neutral words like "soft."
Puffery takes that principle and cranks it up to 11. Words like "ultimate," "miracle," "perfect" aren‘t just positive – they‘re drenched in it. And our brains can‘t resist that deluge of positivity.
There‘s also our built-in tendency to believe what we want to believe. A 1999 study found that people rated the same ground beef as tasting better when it was labeled "75% lean" vs. "25% fat," even though those are mathematically equivalent.
We WANT products to be great. And puffery subtly convinces us they are by telling us what we want to hear. No one wants to buy a "pretty good" product. We want the best in the world! And puffery caters perfectly to that desire.
As author Madeleine L‘Engle put it, "Our names for things are like marshallows we use to lure the creature close enough so we can see it clearly." Puffery lures us in with tempting adjectives – and once hooked, we start to believe them.
Puffery By the Numbers
Just how prevalent is puffery in modern advertising? Let‘s look at some stats:
- A 2014 study of 2000+ print ads found that 73% contained at least one instance of puffery
- Food ads use puffery the most, with 94% of snack ads and 84% of soda ads deploying it
- The bigger the brand, the more it puffs – 91% of ads from the 100 leading national advertisers used puffery
- Puffed ads were more likely to appear in high-profile, expensive ad spots like back covers (86%) vs. regular page ads (62%)
Types of Puffery Used in Ads (2014 study)
| Type of Puffery | % of Ads Using It |
|---|---|
| Vague, immeasurable claims ("best," "finest," "ultimate") | 49% |
| Exaggerated, impossible claims ("miracle," "magic," "perfect") | 31% |
| Unprovable claims ("voted #1," "world famous") | 28% |
| Subjective opinion stated as fact ("You‘ll love it") | 17% |
Source: Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
Clearly, puffery is the go-to technique for advertisers of all stripes. But some do it better than others. Let‘s look at a few of puffery‘s greatest hits…
The Hall of Fame of Puffery
Got milk? This iconic 1993 campaign is a masterclass in puffery. The ads depict scenarios where people desperately need milk to wash down a mouthful of sticky peanut butter or spicy food. The implication: milk is "essential" and "indispensable" – classic puffery. The campaign was a huge success, boosting milk sales in California by 7%.
When BMW says its cars offer "sheer driving pleasure" and an "ultimate driving experience," that‘s grade-A puffery. Driving pleasure is totally subjective and immeasurable. But boy does it sound appealing, especially backed by images of luxury cars hugging curvy roads. BMW has milked this puffery since the 1970s to build its premium brand image.
Maybe the most famously puffed slogan of all time is "Red Bull gives you wings." It‘s exaggerated, unprovable and vague – the holy trinity of puffery. And it perfectly captures the energetic feeling the drink is supposed to provide. Thanks largely to this puffery, Red Bull is now far and away the #1 energy drink brand.
Notice what all these examples have in common? The puffery isn‘t just empty hype. It connects to a real, relevant benefit – milk‘s essential nutrients, BMW‘s driving experience, Red Bull‘s energy boost. The best puffery isn‘t fluff. It‘s exaggerated truth.
Of course, exaggeration has its limits. Puffery can cross the line into false advertising if it‘s not careful. So how do you deploy puffery both ethically and effectively? Here are some guiding principles…
The Dos and Don‘ts of Puffery
✅ DO: Use puffery for subjective qualities like taste, feel, experience
❌ DON‘T: Puff about factual, measurable claims like "50% more"
✅ DO: Puff aspirationally to connect with consumer desires and self-image
❌ DON‘T: Puff claims you can‘t deliver on at all – it will backfire
✅ DO: Vary your puffery with some specific facts to build credibility
❌ DON‘T: Rely solely on puffy words – the audience will tune it out
✅ DO: Have fun with wordplay, rhyme, alliteration in your puffery
❌ DON‘T: Sacrifice clarity for cleverness – puffery should still be easy to grasp
✅ DO: Use puffery consistently to build a memorable brand voice
❌ DON‘T: Puff randomly or off-brand – it should tie to your core values
✅ DO: Get a legal review of your puffery to avoid crossing lines
❌ DON‘T: Try to sneak false claims in under the guise of puffery
In short, puffery is powerful but not all-powerful. It works best when handled with finesse, integrity and a winking sense of fun. Always aim for "truthful hyperbole," not "hyperbolic lies."
The Future of Puffery
As we move into an age of misinformation, deepfakes and AI-generated content, puffery faces some challenges. Consumers are increasingly skeptical of hype and hunger for authenticity. And regulators are taking a harder look at misleading marketing tactics.
At the same time, social media rewards bold, buzzy, clicky statements – catnip for puffery. And as more brands fight for attention in a crowded digital space, the temptation to exaggerate will only grow.
My prediction: Puffery will evolve but endure. The specific tactics and phrasings may change with the times. But as long as there are products to sell and brains to persuade, advertisers will keep on puffing.
The key will be finding that elusive sweet spot – puffery that stands out yet still rings true. Puffery with a knowing wink, not an outright lie. Puffery rooted more in aspiration and imagination than raw hype.
Because at the end of the day, we‘re all suckers for a good story. And puffery, at its best, is just that: storytelling. It‘s painting a vivid picture of a product at its most flattering angle.
The products may change, the media may change, but human nature stays the same. And as long as we yearn to believe, puffery will have a place.
So dream on, you glorious persuaders and outrageous exaggerators. Puff on, you poets of the product. Just remember the cardinal rule – the "truthiness" of puffery only stretches so far.
Hype responsibly, my friends. And most of all – have fun! After all, isn‘t that what the world‘s best, most ultimate, supremely delightful marketers do?
