The apostrophes that stole the Christmas cheer 18 December 2014
Warning: this blog post contains misplaced and missing apostrophes.
As the festive season takes over, I’ve noticed something interesting. Some seasonal business marketing seems to be inspiring more Christmas jeers than cheers. It’s all thanks to a number of major apostrophe errors. The reaction is even more emphatic than usual – and it’s normally quite strong, as I’ve seen from the response to the content I share about apostrophe fails.
I’ll never forget my favourite example of misplaced Christmas apostrophes, as spotted in Nottingham a few years ago:
From this year’s selection, here’s a gem from a British institution, as shared by @redskyatnight and others. This is now apparently being corrected…
How about the bank that decided to drop the apostrophe from its Christmas message, as highlighted by @dannywhitelock?
Finally there’s this one from a well known American company, as brought to Twitter’s attention by @Jslackediting:
Lovely, aren’t they?
Yes, they’re only apostrophe errors, but they really do detract from your marketing message! Which business wants to do that? Whether it’s additional or absent, the misplaced apostrophe can do serious damage to the impact of your content. While we’re on the subject, here’s a little festive grammar quiz you might enjoy.
I’d like to wish all my clients and friends a very happy and (apostrophe) drama-free Christmas!
Camilla Zajac, Green Light Copywriting, December 2014
Written by Camilla Zajac
Camilla Zajac is an award-winning copywriter dedicated to uncovering what’s exciting and unique about organisations and empowering them to communicate that with impact. Learn more about copywriting services from Green Light Copywriting.
