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Bruised Credit and Nicefications

Yet another fun bit of phraseology from the folks who want to lend you money at a higher rate, because your credit rating might not be AAA (or even C-). I heard bruised credit used in a radio commercial here in Ottawa. I assume this is going to be one of the new nice ways to describe folks with bad credit.

The sarcastic side of me thought out loud when I heard the phrase, “When did your credit rating become like a banana or apple?”. Why is there a need to dumb down and nicefy the concept of bad credit? What is next, people who have been convicted of impaired driving being described as Reformed Dreamy Drivers?

A real Bruise on L’il C8j’s Head! Doesn’t look like it has anything to do with Credit, now does it?

Someone in the advertising world has figured out that no one wants to run ads that say, “If your credit stinks” or “if your credit has been turned down”. If they nicefy the whole thing, radio and TV folks won’t feel as awkward running the ads .

If you have had credit problems, or have had a rough patch financially (or as I might say, You Screwed up Financially) it is going to be harder to get credit.  The rate of interest you will end up with is not going to be very good. It will be good for the lender, but that is because you are a Risk to them.

These badly written sentences explain why you can’t get cheap loans with bad credit ratings.

Bruised Credit ?

What’s with all this nicefication that is going on these days? You can’t say someone Screwed Up. You can’t say someone made a mistake and you mustn’t ask nasty questions like “Why did you screw up?”. Embarrassment is a great motivator for me to not screw up again, maybe for others, there is a need to be much nicer, I suppose.

Yes, feel free to point out how adding fications to a word doesn’t make it a word. I actually meant to use the term that George Carlin made famous, however, I will keep this at a Suitable For Work level, however if you wish to see the NSFW George Carlin Clip that explains the term, there it was.

Feel Free to Comment

  1. Agreed! And it’s not just in advertising. I don’t know if it’s just North America, but everything’s becoming so PC I wonder what people are going to do the day they figure out that it’s possible to FAIL. Hopefully they’ll realize it’s not the end of the world. But it might feel like it the way we’re grooming ourselves.

  2. Exactly. I am so sick of advertisers just making #### up. I don’t think it’s to appease media outlets; it simply works as a media strategy. Debtors are like any other consumer — sweet talking them is one of many approaches.

    I think a horrific example of this marketer doublespeak was MBNA’s recent downgrade of the SmartCash. The notice sent was literally like “GOOD NEWS WE’RE IMPROVING YOUR CARD!!!!1!” despite the massive loss of cash-back potential. Unbelievable. Actually, totally believable because it’s TD.

  3. … and I must add that NO I am not showing off my son’s bruises, this was 4 years ago, when he fell in the garage (so please put down the phone if you were about to call child welfare).

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