No Pies in the Truck

A common sign seen on commercial premises runs something like 'No money left on the premises overnight'. It's a clever alternative to signs about how secure the place is, telling potential burglars that it simply isn't worth the effort. The principle has also migrated to commercial vehicles such as security trucks, again telling the world that there is nothing worth stealing left during times when criminals may be tempted.

So I was quite tickled when I recently saw a truck that delivers pies from a local specialist firm, which had a sign painted on it as follows:

No pies are left in this truck overnight.

How clever. It gets you on several levels. First, the distorted familiarity of the phrase makes you pause to work out what is happening. Even though this happens quickly, it has now grabbed your attention. And like all good jokes, delayed understanding leads to amusement. So now you are looking at the pie truck and feeling good. So you might well look further, including further advertising messages and pictures of tasty-looking pies.

An additional effect is in the subtle implication that the pies are so valuable that thieves would want to steal them. When we perceive that others may desire something, we tend to desire it too, so the pies get even more tempting.

Not bad changing minds for a simple message on a truck, eh?

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