Last week, I found myself looking at the box pictured below. I knew, more or less, what the product contained in the box was (a gelatin, or pudding, or custard, or mousse – something like that), but found it surprisingly difficult to determine what exactly it was.
Adjectives
Looking at the box, I first saw these adjectives:
- Jell-O brand
- Sugar Free
- Fat Free
- Reduced Calorie
- Instant
- Lemon flavor
Hidden among these qualifiers was the phrase I was looking for: “pudding & pie filling”. It was not easy to find; at the risk of embarrassing myself, I’d estimate it took me 5s to locate this information.
What Does it Mean?
I’m not sure what the broader significance of this is. I’m reasonably certain, however, that the 6:1 adjective-to-noun ratio isn’t accidental, nor is the fact that far more emphasis is placed on generic, “positive” adjectives than on concrete nouns. (Imagine how many other products could be described by all or most of these adjectives.) I have the vague impression that packaging like this isn’t a good sign.
