There's been an advert in the Manchester Evening News a couple of times now, for a 'smile' clinic somewhere in the city. It shows two photos of a smile. The first is of a badly-lit, miserable-looking gurning face, while the second is of a bright, cheesy grin with full-on flash. The people who run the clinic obviously believe that potential customers will look at the two photos and see a marked improvement because of the fantastic dental technique, rather than differently-staged pictures. I am reminded of a similar tactic, where they show two bodies in side view, one obviously breathing out, relaxed, with a big stomach bulging over too-tight trousers and the other of the same person sucking in for all their worth. This, the advertiser would have you believe, is all due to their amazing slim product / lycra corset / elastic trousers. They must think people are stupid. And, in fact, a lot of people are, otherwise these companies wouldn't have the money to pay for adverts in national newspapers.
With this kind of tactic in mind, I now present my new, upgraded, tarted-up, glam wall. What was once a dreary and drab pile of bricks - as you can see here:
Has now been transformed, as if by magic (by only the application of some 'wonder paint'), into something straight off a Greek island.
I hope to use this tactic in the future when we come to sell the house and by clever camera-work and lighting, turn our modest two bed terrace into a glitzy four bed mansion. At three times the market value of course. Cynical? Me?
