Is the exclamation mark the most hated thing in advertising?

It has always intrigued me that nearly every single ad that I see in print and on South African television has an exclamation mark somewhere in it. Save! New! Free! Lite! Etc!

I’m beginning to believe that people get conditioned to this. That some part of them actually starts looking for the exclamation mark at the end of the word, as an early warning device that someone somewhere is trying really hard to sell them something.

When people read what you write, they don’t read it in groups. There’s no need to get the message to the guy at the back of the room. He’s looking at your page. You’re whispering in his ear. So why are we all shouting?

Perhaps it’s time we stopped yelling. Maybe we should start talking.