Spelling Mistakes

Throughout our business school careers, we have been told time and time again the importance of proper spelling and grammatical fluency for every piece of work we hand in. “Your work is a representation of yourself, so make it proper!” and “Your documents will someday be the basis for a first impression, so you need to be very thorough on the editing process(es)!,” have been common warnings from instructors over the years. We have countless methods of editing systems available to us: spell-checkers, multiple-peer editing, cross referencing with grammar books; heck, you can now pay someone via Paypal to edit your written or recorded documents. That is why I am so stunned when I see an advertisement, particularly one produced by a big-wig company or individual, that has grammatical errors that are not supposed to be a part of the design (i.e. Krispy Kreme). You can’t really help but ask yourself, “Okay, how many people have viewed this ad before launching?! How could this slip through the cracks?!”

Very scrupulous viewers of the John McCain campaign series for example have isolated a few ads with some shocking misspelled words:

Yikes! Pretty sure everybody, virtue, and exaggerate were all part of my regular 3rd grade spelling tests. McCain isn’t the only one subjected to poor spelling mishaps, however. How about those weight-loss companies who use the word “loose” instead of “lose”, or those who use “your” (possessive) instead of “you’re” (contraction)?  For those who pick it up, the message’s effectiveness is ruined, and it puts a damper on the credibility of the company or individual. Why give something or someone funds or support when they can’t even present you with a proper sentence? For me, I’m more of a person to laugh it off as oppose to taking personal offense, but there are others who certainly voice their anger, saying that they are offended because they have been presented with something that suggests they aren’t intelligent enough to notice such a slip-up…

Thanx four reeding!