Per our assignment, I sleuthed out some websites whose copy provided some food for thought, quite literally. During this season, I like to peruse the catalogues of specialty food item purveyors. Although the hard catalogues that I receive in the snail mail usually entice me first, I typically log on to their websites and make an electronic purchase through their sites. Thus, I proceeded to approach their websites and examine them for good web writing, usability.
The Good
Zingerman's. I'm biased here since I adore ol' Zing and would order from them even if their website copy was written in pig latin. However, I think Zingerman's does a fairly good job of describing their goods (they have to describe them especially well because their site does not contain photos - just illustrations). The individual product descriptions are thorough - maybe a little too lyrical for the impatient web reader - but they do include extensive ingredient lists which can be helpful for those with diet concerns. Some of the product descriptions even tell stories, i.e. of how the products are made: citrus pressed oils from marina colonna. I also like that their categories are clearly labeled, with a one-line description of each, such as when I land on these thresholds for full-flavored gifts and cheeses.
The Not-so-Good
Harry and David's catalogues are well-known for their visual spectacle and the fruit display pictures that look like oil pastel still-lifes. But have you ever read the ad copy on their websites? 1-800-CORNY!
Let me just offer you the description of their chocolate truffles with my own comments in italics:
Rich chocolates like ours cause pleasure (Oh really? Glad they don't cause antipathy or discomfort!) and involve the emotions in much the same way as falling in love: They simply make you feel good. (Gag me.) Deeply fragrant (Glad they're not malodorous! Nothing worse than a truffle that stinks!), wholly satisfying, these are the kind of truffles that connoisseurs spend a small fortune hoping to discover in the world's finest shops and confectionaries. We could save them a lot of time and effort. Our gourmet assortment includes Cherry, Almond, Coffee, Raspberry, Double Chocolate and Dark Chocolate. An affordable luxury, in an elegant gift box. (This description does mention that there are 1 lb. of truffles. Wouldn't it be helpful if they could tell you other gift ideas I might like in case this description made me feel like yacking?)
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1 comment:
Anything with cheese in it is okay by me. Thanks for introducing me to Zingerman's.
And I know we're supposed to savor chocolate to make the experience last but are there really people who pause long enough before scarfing it down to tell what it smells like?
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