Advertising Needs a Better Proofreader

As an editor, I care very much about proper grammar; it is key to what I do and who I am. Improper grammar really gets under my skin, and it’s even worse when the people guilty of it are trying to convince me to spend my money on their products or services.

Over the past few years, it seems to me that many common grammar errors, like misplaced apostrophes or commas, subject-verb agreement mistakes, double negatives, split infinitives, and poor sentence structure, have crept into ad copy at an alarming rate. Here are just a few examples:

In an ad for Endurance, the auto repair protection provider, a customer testimonial notes that after she became a client “I never seen a repair bill.” I wonder if other customers ever saw bills.

Honda, in a 2012 ad for its Civic, proclaims, “To each their own.” Here the automaker broke the rule about singular and plural noun-pronoun agreement: “Each” is singular, but “their” is plural. With proper grammar in mind, “To each their own” should really have been “To each his own.”

Fellow automaker Mercedes-Benz, in a 2012 ad for its C-class coupe, said the car boasts “More power. More style. More technology. Less doors.” To be grammatically correct, the word “fewer” should have been used instead of “less.”

There are many more examples, but I only have so much room for this column.

I guess one argument for leaving these mistakes in the copy is that companies are trying to make themselves seem relatable, to speak in a way that comes across as authentic rather than scripted. Or you could argue that 90 percent of people probably will not notice, and if they do, they will not care.

I notice, and I care. And in my opinion, grammar mistakes in advertising can damage companies’ credibility and make them seem sloppy and less professional. And I’m not alone. In fact, a study by Website Planet showed the bounce rate on landing pages with punctuation and grammar mistakes was 85 percent higher than those that were error-free. If Google spots a high bounce rate, it lowers the site’s ranking in search results, and that can have serious bottom-line consequences for some businesses.

It’s not very difficult for companies to overcome common grammar mistakes. The easy answer is to have a proofreader on staff to thoroughly review all advertising materials for errors before publishing. Word processing and publishing tools typically have grammar and spell checkers built in, and tools like Grammarly can also help identify and correct common grammar mistakes.

A related trend in advertising that has come to light in just the past few years is using gender-neutral pronouns like “they,” “them,” and “their” in place of “he,” “she,” “him,” and “her,” in an effort to promote inclusivity and resonate with diverse audiences, especially younger generations. But be careful; it could also be alienating to some consumers or come across as awkward or confusing to others. Some consumers, particularly those with strong traditional values, might find gender-neutral language or marketing confusing or even offensive.

The arguments for and against gender-inclusive pronouns are many. To play it safe, companies can consider alternatives like using “you” or plural language, thereby adhering to long-standing grammar rules without offending those with gender sensitivities.

Advertising, to my mind, should reflect the mainstream culture’s existing norms, values, trends, and language usage rather than actively attempting to shape them. Advertising should be about selling companies’ products and services, not an agenda.

Leonard Klie is the editor of CRM magazine. He can be reached at lklie@infotoday.com.

Reader Response

Dear Editor:

I just wanted to commend you for the recent article addressing DEI (Front Office, March 2025). I agree with your point/counterpoint arguments (especially the credit card example), and I think it echoes what many in the CX world are thinking. This topic has been largely politicized, but you helped clarify how businesspeople should be thinking about it. —Gordon Schleffer, vice president of customer service at Evolent

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