andydidyk.com

Maybe I’m from a different school of thought than most people, but I think that warning labels that are just that, warnings, do little to deter consumers unless accompanied by a logical explanation. For instance, the warning label on my son’s can of powdered formula states, “WARNING- DO NOT HEAT BOTTLE WITH NIPPLE ATTACHED.” No explanation. I must confess, as a result of either urgency or laziness I have often disregarded that warning, to no ill effect. Positively nothing wrong has happened as a result.

Now consider that level of communication vs. this that of a warning label on the back of a bottle of drain cleaner, or other poisonous chemical. Phrases such as, “will cause severe burns”, “may cause blindness”, and of course “contents extremely flammable” clearly demonstrate the risk of misusing the product. However, so many other products contain warning labels such as those on a bottle of shampoo, “for external use only”, that have no rational explanation as to why downing a refreshing bottle of Head & Shoulders after a hard day’s work may be a bad idea.

Okay, so that last example was a bit silly. But the point is this: in the Information Age, consumers expect to know why, and in as conversational as a tone as possible. If my son’s formula said, “Do not heat bottle with nipple attached, because it might reduce the nutritional content of the formula” (I’m making this consequence up here) I’d be a lot more apt to follow it.

Just for fun, here’s a website that lets you create your own warning label:

http://www.warninglabelgenerator.com/

Enjoy!