Whole Foods Poster

(Apologies that this photo is really hard to see… I took this photo through a window, so the reflections are messing with legibility big time.)

I think this messaging misses the mark. “Rave reviews before anyone takes a seat.”

I can appreciate their acknowledgment of a good-looking Thanksgiving spread. But personally, I wouldn’t want any rave reviews before anyone takes a seat. Compliments? Sure! But rave reviews?? Maybe after people have sat down and tried my food. I think the choice of language here results in a twinge of insincerity. How can you give me rave reviews if you don’t know what my food tastes like yet? What are you reviewing? Are you just lying to me???

Anyway, not everyone is a metal-hearted, mistrustful B like I tend to be, so overall this poster is very fine. But tiny nuances will burrow themselves into the back of a reader’s mind and metastasize, and it’s the copywriters’ job to prevent that! What I want to say here is this: think your messaging all the way through, even if it’s just a standalone sentence for a seasonal poster.