If you represent a company, making false claims in your advertisements can get you into all sorts of trouble.

Take potato crisps (called potato chips in America), for example. I remember when I was a kid growing up in England. In those days of yore, you could have any flavor you wanted—any flavor at all—just so long as that flavor was “plain.” As a special treat, bags of “salt and shake” crisps also contained a pinch of salt presented in a little blue sachet (packet).

These days, crisps (chips) are available in all sorts of tempting flavors, like chicken, beef, pork, smoked bacon, shrimp, sour cream and onion, cheddar and chives… the list goes on.

The people who make crisps occasionally introduce special taste sensations. In the 1980s, for example, one company in England offered “hedgehog flavored crisps.”

The first problem they ran into was when someone sued them for “cruelty to hedgehogs.” This forced the company to go to court to defend themselves by saying that they didn’t use real hedgehogs—their chips were just “hedgehog flavored.”

I can imagine the company’s marketing weenies patting themselves on their backs when they won this case. I can also imagine their chagrin when they were sued once again by someone else who challenged the assertion that these crisps did indeed taste like hedgehogs (they based this challenge on the fact that the company had publicly acknowledged not using real hedgehogs).

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

This time, the company brought in some gypsies as expert witnesses. This was because, in some traditional gypsy communities, hedgehogs have historically been eaten as part of their cultural practices. So, in front of the court, the gypsies tasted the crisps, smacked their lips, and proclaimed, “These taste like hedgehog to us.”

But that’s not what I wanted to tell you about…

Cracker Barrel is a country-themed restaurant and gift shop chain known for its Southern-style comfort food, rustic décor, and nostalgic atmosphere. The restaurants are styled like old-fashioned general stores, complete with rocking chairs on the porch, a large fireplace inside, and shelves lined with vintage candy, toys, and Americana.

These restaurants are found throughout the United States, primarily in the South, Midwest, and parts of the East Coast, though they’ve expanded into other regions as well.

One of Cracker Barrel’s claims to fame is its awesome breakfasts that are served all day. I was on a road trip a couple of days ago with my wife (Gigi the Gorgeous). As we drove down the interstate, we saw a big billboard advertising Cracker Barrel. On this billboard was a picture of a bodacious breakfast featuring eggs, bacon, and hashbrown casserole (shredded potatoes, Colby cheese, chopped onions, and Cracker Barrel’s signature seasoning blend, all baked together in the oven to create a homestyle favorite).

Next to this image were the words: “Not Pictured: World’s Best Pancakes.” O-M-Goodness gracious me, that’s really clever,” I thought. Why? Well…

…the impression they are giving is that they offer the world’s best pancakes, which would be really hard to prove, not least that the concept of “best” is extremely subjective in this context.

But that’s not, in fact, what they are saying. What they are saying is that they are not showing a picture of the world’s best pancakes, whoever happens to make them, and no one can argue with logic like that.

It’s not often you’ll hear me say this, but—in this case—I’m forced to doff my cap to the members of the marketing fraternity (but don’t tell them I said so because it will go to their heads).