Food marketers have known this for years. One powerful way to appeal to customers is to emphasize what is missing.  Misleading? Sure can be. Depends on how you look at it. I see it as more honest than not, when it comes to health.

I remember when "cholesterol-free" was all the rage, seeing orange juice touting its no cholesterol advantage. Which of course it always had, given that only animal products contain cholesterol.

When avoiding an ingredient or preparation method or chemical becomes a hot topic, be prepared to see all kinds of food products using it to grab your attention. Like Ocean Mist Romaine Hearts, which is...lettuce. Their bag calls out that their lettuce is gluten free, lactose free, and vegan. And that it supports a healthy heart. All good things. Hey, what about fat free?

TV ads for Orville Redenbacher's are popping up (pun intended!) on the Olympics. Many of the ads promise not good popcorn as the benefit of the gourmet popcorn, but bringing people together. Check out this "tea party" ad:

The ad closes saying: "Spending time together. That's the power of Orville Redenbacher's." When product ads connect through deeper shared experiences, they hit home. We don't just think about it, we feel it. And we all know that feelings and emotion is what drives most purchases, right?

I mean matches, literally. For some reason I looked closely at our box of diamond kitchen matches today. It illustrates a fine lesson in marketing what I consider an inherently "low involvement" product (though these rave video reviews suggest otherwise).

What struck me is how many marketers emphasize "new" with products that have demonstrated limited innovation. As you can in the upper right corner of the matchbox photo, these matches sport a "NEW LOOK!" followed by reassurance that it is the "Same Great Product." Phew. (And would it be bad taste to say the new look (??) for these fine matches is very hot?).

Which reminds me - how many times has P&G's Tide detergent touted that it's "new and improved"? (click for funny spoof on Tide's marketing). And why do we equate "new" with better?

Back to marketing matches. By reading the box that I managed to never read until now, I also learned the many benefits of my diamond brand kitchen matches. They are fueled by the diamond ignition system. They are made from the highest quality Aspen wood. And diamond is the perfect match for all my fire-starting needs. Sorry, no testimonials from pyromaniacs.