In mid-November I sent an email to Nature’s Path’s director of marketing. Nature’s Path is a company that makes organic cereal. They’d started a marketing campaign involving several different posters that talked about their cereal in a “fun” way. On my way to and from work each day, I’d pass by a couple of these posters at the Burlington GO station. For a while, before I wrote the email, I’d found myself repeating the phrase of one of these posters in my head. I wasn’t sure why it struck me so much more than other advertising I’d read, but it did for some reason. The day I wrote the email, I stopped and actually concentrated on re-reading the poster and trying to figure out why it kept demanding my attention.

Here’s what it said: “We’ve found that social and environmental responsibility go particularly well with milk.”

Thinking to myself that there must be something wrong with that, I set myself to figuring it out what it was – and I did so quickly enough. In my email to the marketing director, I told her that the ad copy wasn’t right. It should either read “responsibilities go” or “responsibility goes”.

She wrote back and thanked me for my interest, and asked me for my mailing address. She wanted to send me something for my feedback. Just today, New Year’s Eve, I received a beautifully designed box with the following items inside:

Flax Plus Granola: Pumpkin
Flax Plus Granola: Vanilla Almond
Flax Plus: Pumpkin Raisin Crunch
Flax Plus: Red Berry Crunch
Optimum: Blueberry Cinnamon
Synergy: 8 Whole Grains
Pomegran Plus with Cherries
Whole O's
Hot Oatmeal Variety Pack (Apple Cinnamon, Flax Plus, Maple Nut, and Multigrain Raisin)
Optimum Energy Bar: Peanut Butter
Optimum Energy Bar: Orange Chocolate
Optimum Energy Bar: Pomegran Cherry
Optimum Energy Bar: Blueberry Flax & Soy
Optimum Rebound Energy Bar: Banana, Nut, Matcha & Flax
Weil: Goji Moji Pure Fruit & Nut Bar
Weil: Banana Manna Pure Fruit & Nut Bar
Weil: Chocolada Walnut Pure Fruit & Nut Bar
Weil: Pistachi-Oh! Pure Fruit & Nut Bar
Weil: Chia Razz Pure Fruit & Nut Bar

Who says that using proper grammar, and pointing out its misuse, doesn’t pay? (Incidentally, I can spot two problems with the grammar used in the names of these products. Can you?)