Advertising sometimes makes some bold claims, if not to say that it can be downright misleading. Some brands try to excuse themselves with pitiful disclaimers, and shoppers in Australia are seeing what may be one of the most serious cases.
For a while now, Chemist Warehouse has been widely recognized as ‘Australia’s Cheapest Chemist’, as clearly stated on their website and storefront. However, social media users have recently noticed a crucial detail that can alter this perception, provided you use binoculars or a top-notch camera phone with a quality zoom function.
Credit for the image goes to Chemist Warehouse, whose branding incorporates a subtle detail that may go unnoticed.
The Twitter account of Chemist Warehouse proudly claims the title of ‘Australia’s Cheapest Chemist’ as its tagline. However, observant individuals have noticed that on both its website and some physical stores, the crucial words are presented in a smaller format preceding the tagline. Instead of being confidently stated, the phrase is transformed into a question, asking, “Is this it?”
The additional words seem to have been removed later at this store (Image credit: Chemist Warehouse, shared on Reddit)
Not only is the question mark placement in the middle of the phrase grammatically ambiguous, but it also appears quite clever of the brand to keep the disclaimer brief. On the website, the phrase ‘Is this?’ is illegible (as mentioned earlier), and in certain physical stores, it seems like an afterthought added to the brand’s blue and yellow colors. These billboard ads are not exactly top-notch.
Is Chemist Warehouse Australia truly the cheapest chemist? While they offer a price match guarantee, it’s important to note that it’s not an exact match. Recently, social media users have been expressing surprise upon discovering this disclaimer in the tagline. For a clearer advertising inspiration, take a look at our guide to the best print ads with less cryptic messaging.
