Txtng is the New Copywriting

We see these Ameren outdoor boards all over our city promoting efficient energy usage. The concept is that they promote efficiency in the design without all those pesky unnecessary letters, so that “Save Energy” becomes SAV NRGY (although I suppose they couldn’t say “SAV NRG” for fear of upsetting NRG Energy Corporation. That would have been downright impolite, despite a whole consonant’s worth of extra efficiency).

This is not the first time we’ve seen the creep of txtng into advertising culture. The Arnell Group’s horrid Pepsi campaign (pointing to refresheverything.com) was a few months earlier, and even more widepread. And now we’re seeing the same ideas recycled yet again in an anti-Obama campaign. Pepsi, Obama and the GOP look at the letter “O” and see a void to be filled. Herb Lubalin is LOLing in his grave.