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When grammar goes bad – things brands would rather forget

Never underestimate the importance of grammar. In a world where everybody is vying for top spot, how you present your brand is the difference between you and your competitors.

Gone are the days where all press is good press. Consumers now expect a lot more from brands they are thinking of buying from. One simple mistake can damage credibility, make your brand look amateurish, and make it seem less trustworthy, even if they give customers a laugh at their expense.

We’ve rounded up some brands that had to learn the lesson of grammar the hard way.

McDonald’s

When a branch of the fast-food giant put up its latest sign, nobody checked that the term ‘served’ had been spelt correctly. Something brings up memories of Mrs Lovett’s pies in Sweeney Todd. We’re not sure why…

Taco Bell

When the popular Tex-Mex chain ran out of meat, we guess staff were too busy to check the spelling. At least they remembered the apostrophe.

Ugg Boots

They say that brands need to be excited about the products they sell. Clearly this shop didn’t, ugh, get the message.

Signs & Lettering

You might want to double-check your punctuation before putting an order in.

Apostrophe

Knowing the difference between its and it’s. Just because the company is named apostrophe doesn’t mean it knows when not to use one.

 

Cineworld

This cinema chain didn’t realise that sometimes less is more when it came to using commas.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Seems like there was a change of plan on opening times or an apostrophe has gone missing. We’d bet on the latter…

Tails

Commas are important. According to lifestyle magazine Tails, Rachael Ray likes to put a little extra in her recipes.

Mitt Romney

We’re still checking our world maps for a country called Amercia. Please let us know if you come across it.

The Bakery

We definitely approve of the cakes but which desert are we speaking of in particular – the Sahara, Atacama, or maybe the Namib?

Original Drinks

Always make time for proofreading. This drinks company found this out far too late.

 

If you need help to avoid making our 2020 list, it’s definitely worth leaving the writing to a content marketing agency who can guarantee you’ll be voted number 1 at any grammar awards.

With the brands above left embarrassed by their grammar faux pas, we can only leave you with one important piece of advice:

Check, check and then check again!

Get in touch with WooContent today and we can support you with your copywriting strategy.