A lesson on implication of advertising

CAR TALK

Q: My name is Daniel. I drive a 2005 Escalade (OK, it's a toy car). I am 7 years old. Here is my question: Why do the speedometers in cars go up to 120 mph, when you are only allowed to go 65 mph?

RAY: Great question. To answer it, we have to give you a lesson in advertising.

TOM: A lot of advertising is done by implication. That means they may not be able to actually SAY something, because it isn't true. But they can SUGGEST it.

RAY: A carmaker may not be able to SAY that a car goes 120 mph, because it doesn't. But it can put a speedometer in the car that goes up to 120 mph. That IMPLIES that the car can go 120.

TOM: And that's supposed to make you say: "Wow, this car can go 120 mph. It must be good!"

RAY: But smart people like you will say to yourself: "I live in civilization. Where could I ever drive 120 mph? I can't! So, why do I need a car that can go that fast?" Then you'll look past the advertising to things that really matter like whether it's well-built, gets good gas mileage, is the right size for you and is safe.

TOM: To give you another example of implied advertising, take a look at the box that your morning breakfast cereal comes in. What's on the box? An athlete?

RAY: The implied message is, "If you eat this cereal, you'll be able to play baseball or football just like this athlete." Of course that's not true.

TOM: So, you're a very wise young man to notice that. And if you want to learn more about tricks like these, send me $25, and I'll send you our pamphlet, which will instantly make you as smart as two guys who write a car column in the newspaper.

RAY: That was a test. (1) There is no pamphlet, and (2) you're already smarter than we are.

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site at cartalk.com.