Chapter 6 - Exercise 2

Connotation in Advertising

If you remember that the purpose of advertising is to sell products and to present a product in the most enticing light possible, these samples should be simple to do. In parentheses are four words that an advertising copywriter might choose. Which one do you think he or she would probably choose? Which of the four choices is the most appropriate for the context? Be prepared to defend your answer on the basis of the word's connotation. After you make your choices, rewrite the advertising copy in the spaces provided.

1		In the (aftermath, sunset, afterglow, decline) of a (rough, challenging, formidable, difficult) day, (men of action, energetic men, strong men, busy men) the world over (stop, knock off, quit, pause) to (relish, enjoy, savor, draw in) the (fellowship, companionship, comradeship, company) of Gold Label, the internationally (acclaimed, celebrated, eminent, world-famous) cigar of (great, grand, superlative, magnificent) (fragrance, odor, aroma, perfume) and (male, manly, masculine, virile) (blandness, mildness, moderation, gentleness).
2		For more years than you can probably remember, (ladies, women, housewives, cooks) have been using (fragile, brittle, crisp, breakable), (perky, peppery, jaunty, sharp) Heinz Pickles to (stir stomachs, to get their families to eat more, to stimulate hunger, to tempt lagging appetites). . . and (spice up, spark, give zest to, animate) (plain economy dishes, ordinary food, routine meals, cheap food) with a (cooled off, cold, cool, frigid) green (tincture, hint, suggestion, touch) of spring! We've been (putting up, bottling, making, processing) pickles the same (careful, precise, meticulous, loving) way for over 100 years--using (costly, treasured, precious, valuable) home (recipes, receipts, formulas, directions), (specially developed, cultivated, genetically selected, pedigreed) cucumbers, our own fine Heinz Vinegar and (out-of-the-way, exotic, unusual, rare) (odorous, aromatic, redolent, fragrant) spices--and, naturally, most people like Heinz Pickles best.
3		You (ask for, require, want, demand) (prettiness, loveliness, beauty, pulchritude). Beauty that (endures, lasts, wears well, persists). Wool carpet has durable, unfading, permanent, enduring) (charm, good looks, eye-appeal, beauty). The (hard-to-find, rare, elusive, uncommon) kind. Its (unique, unusual, extraordinary, different) natural (threads, fibers, filaments, strands) form a perfect (foundation, underpinning, base, basis) for great (loudness, brightness, shininess, brilliance) of (tint, hue, shade, color). And wool's (peerless, supreme, unrivaled, matchless) (power of recovery, resilience, bounciness, spring) gives permanent retention of that (crucial, animated, vital, living) (elastic, cushiony, rubbery, springy) feeling. (Flexible, Pliant, Malleable, Adaptable), (Dignified, Princely, Noble, Majestic).