I don't profess to be an expert on the subject nor do I think of myself as a professional writer (far from it). However, there have been numerous times in the past few years when I have been dismayed by the obvious errors in both spelling and grammar in many of the media to which we subject ourselves, rendering at least a few of these confusing.

Advertising is here to stay, and is one of the largest and fasted-growing businesses there is to be involved in. It relies on effective communication. It should always rely on effective and accurate communication. I have seen, and can understand the odd error creeping into a quickly-prepared document which was subject to a deadline, that the spell/grammar checker was confused by and that didn't get proof-read afterwards because of time constraints. I can understand that happening, and accept it.

However, if the anticipated audience for the document or advertisement to be written is large (e.g., Internet, television, newspapers), then greater care must be taken to be accurate in the communication presented. Usually, where money is involved (as in an item's price), an advertisement is reviewed very well before publishing to ensure that there is simply no way for the ad to be interpreted differently or incorrectly.

In those commercials that are only leading rather than offering, I have seen poor grammar and blatant spelling errors. The company advertising in such a way has already lost an important part of my interest at this point. It's about respect, I suppose. For me, it is simple to spot the "good" advertisements. They are the ones that capture my attention, provide me with significant relevant information, are clear (to read or hear), not misleading, and don't prompt you to spend money you don't have. I believe this would be a progressive move for advertisers; a move that would create respect for the companies financing the commercials rather than a disdain for the methods employed in leading the consumer on.

Having said that, I do enjoy commercials (TV especially) that are creative and entertaining. These don't usually result in a sale to me but are enjoyable nonetheless.

There is an increasing number of consumers who do their research on the Internet for almost any significant purchase. These consumers are choosing to see the appropriate advertisements for the item in which they are interested, on their own schedule, and to whatever depth of investigation suits them. Most of these consumers have already made a decision to buy the item at some time and are educating themselves before buying. Some may buy on-line. Many do. This seems to make so much more sense than having a TV spew glamour or temptation at you incessantly with the hope that there may be something relevant that gets through to the potential buyer. I do keep in mind, however, that many advertisers display a web presence through a hyperlink address on the TV ads. This at least gives the interested consumer a chance to get in-depth information at leisure.

In my past investigations on the Internet, I happened across Triond. I was surprised to see how simple the designers/creators had made it to become involved in sharing what we have learned and captured somehow through our life experiences. I believe in the Triond method, even though it is driven by advertising revenue, and in which I take part, thank you, because it represents a desire to improve somehow on what we have accomplished so far. In the quest for writing the piece that captures the attention or provides some interesting fact or technique, so do the writers become more proficient, more painstaking, more accurate and better able to communicate effectively.

And that is the key.

With poor communication, many troubles have plagued our world. Why not then, strive for an accurate sharing of our feelings, our knowledge and our goals. Can it be wrong?