Monday, September 15, 2014

No Cut Block at Menards?

Yet another case of a missing hyphen leading to confusion:


This billboard has been up around town in multiple locations lately. Every time I see it I think, "They don't have any cut blocks at Menards? Then why are they advertising that product?"

After a second, I always figure out that this is what they meant to say:


I'm sure the do-it-your-selfers in the ad's intended audience don't sit around ruminating on that missing hyphen. What gets seen is the picture, the THIS IS EASY line, and the Menards logo -- which together get the point across. But still. Can't they check their wording before they make it 20 feet tall all over town?

Come to think of it, the phrase "no-cut block" is pretty awkward no matter how you write it. Maybe some copywriting genius should think of a better name for it.

____

For those who are unfamiliar with the Twin Cities, Menards is a big-box hardware and lumber store, comparable to Lowe's or Home Depot. It's relatively locally owned, with its headquarters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

1 comment:

Michael Leddy said...

I like the arrow. Oh, so that’s what they’re referring to: the fire pit!

The Menards guy, Ray Szmanda, was a welcome if slighty manic presence on our television for many midwestern years.