US pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s is opening stores in Australia. A branch at Parramatta Westfield is launching on 26 July, and there’s a hoarding for Auntie Anne’s in the downstairs food court at the QVB in the city (snapped above) which suggests that location will follow soon afterwards.
That might raise a few eyebrows at the Luneburger bakery opposite, which also has pretzels on the menu . But what raised my eyebrows was the atrocious language used to try and attract new hires.
No, folks, you are not “looking for a passionate team”. You are not going to be hiring “pretzel artisans” who are roaming the streets in packs. You’re going to be hiring individuals and (with luck) creating a team.
On top of that, the capitalisation of “Pretzel Artisans” is just ludicrous. And choosing to capitalise “Artisans” but not “managers” or “members” just underscores the point.
The HR sector mangling language is nothing new. But that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. Otherwise we all end up saying “work colleagues” like that’s OK.
What’s really dumb about this whole campaign, though, is that the QR code is next to useless anyway. It just goes through to the main Auntie Anne’s site, not a specific recruitment page, and the “Contact us” form doesn’t work on mobile. Oh dear.
Accuracy matters.
Mind Your Language is an occasional series where I provide nit-picking advice on writing. Language always changes and evolves, but that doesn’t mean anything goes.
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