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I really need to get a camera. There's this billboard all over town for some cut-rate car insurance outfit. There's a friendly-looking brunette smiling as she holds the phone. I'm going to paraphrase the text - the important part is a direct quote, but I can't remember the whole thing. "Money troubles getting you down?" it says at the top, in larger print than the rest. "We can help. Call me," it says in the middle, across from the picture of the phone-lady. Then at the bottom is their logo.

Now, the part that perplexes me is "We can help. Call me." Why does it change from plural to singular? I mean, I guess it implies that if you call, you'll be speaking to this paragon of customer service efficiency, someone who really understands your money problems. But why not say "I can help"? Or "Call us"?

I know a common advertising technique is using a deliberate misspelling or grammar error to call attention (conscious or otherwise) to their message. Is confusing first person singular and first person plural one of those things subtle enough to register as "this is wrong, but I can't quite put my figure on it, so I'd better pay extra attention to it"? If so, why is this the first example I've noticed?

p.s. Interview went well! Dun dun dun...

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July 2013

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