The Pause Between Words

The TV advertisement shows big bold print:

NEXIUM
LEVEL
PROTECTION

I'm thinking it's an ad for Nexium, so they want me to think of "nexium level" as "high level" or "strongest" or "best" or something like that. That's fine, that's what an advertisement is supposed to do.

But -- words still on-screen -- the announcer's voice comes over, repeating those words.

"Nexium," he says. "Level protection."

//

Here, let me do it with punctuation:

I expect the announcer to say Nexium-level protection. (A shorter pause before the word level than after.)

But what he says is Nexium: Level protection. (A longer pause before the word level than after.)

"Nexium-level" is a high level, presumably. But that's not what the announcer offers. He offers Nexium to us as "level protection". Flat, I guess, flat, uninspiring, average or maybe below average protection. Level protection, as opposed to Nexium-level. That's what the announcer offers.

Why? Because the announcer paused a little too long after the word "Nexium". He put the big space between "nexium" and "level" when he should have put it between "level" and "protection".

//

Did they not notice? It cannot be. They had to notice. But they kept it that way, so that what the announcer says comes across like an insult to the product. Too subtle to be funny, though.

Why do it that way?

Dunno. General illiteracy, perhaps? Cultivated illiteracy?

I can't say.