Story arc: Good, Bad, Ugly
SONAIS 181 - Friday, July 4, 2025 link
Strip 181. Zhang and Heidi discuss Adil's cafestol experiment and the often meaningless use of the “natural” label in marketing.
Setting: The kitchen/lunch area.
Zhang: Have you seen Adil's ‘cafestol’ experiment?
Heidi: I doubt it makes any sense. Any benefits of that substance are disputed. Well, at least he is not distilling and consuming pure caffeine, which could be lethal.

Heidi: Some people believe anything extracted from something ‘natural’ is inherently safe. That is obviously not true, the slime from a Phyllobates terribilis frog is also “natural.”
Zhang: I guess that's also why this box of tea proudly states it is “100% natural tea.”

Heidi: Typical marketing nonsense. It would imply ‘unnatural’ or ‘synthetic’ tea should also exist.
Zhang: I can't imagine what could classify as one of those. Used motor oil extract perhaps?
Heidi: Don't mention that near Adil, it might give him some ideas…
Story arc: Good, Bad, Ugly
SONAIS 182 - Tuesday, July 8, 2025 link
Strip 182. Max is not pleased with the common marketing practice of vague performance comparisons, but Adil of course disagrees.
Voice coming from computer: Message from our sponsor: buy our new battery. Lasts 50% longer!
Max: 50% longer than what? What are they comparing to? I hate ads like these.
Adil: It's marketing, baby! People will generally assume the point of comparison to be the current state-of-the-art, but usually it is not.

Max: Are we free to pick the reference? How about I assume it's a zinc-carbon battery from 1950? Then, even 50% better is still awful.
Adil: Regulations do require the actual point of comparison to be specified.
Max: Yeah, in the smallest possible borderline readable font, or barely whispered, at 200% speed…

Max: If it were up to me, it would be obligatory to provide the point of comparison directly after the claim, in the same font, or spoken in the same way.
Adil: You are such a spoilsport. Where's the fun in that?