for their thoughtful movements and about half of their occurrences in advertisements relate to this behaviour. In the remaining cases they were chosen for their shell, or their longevity, or their life in the sea and sometimes I have no idea why a turtle was featured.

is seen as negative; inertia is something to be avoided. All products, or services, emphasize that they are fast and accomplish a lot in a short time. It should come as no surprise that this is the preferred approach for computers and telecom equipment. But also for job vacancies! After all, they are always looking for energetic, decisive people who jump right in. They are looking for doers, not thinkers.

(1) we learn that Sometimes the exchange of information happens at the breakneck speed of a turtle. (from Dutch). The rest of the text says that this is easily remedied with a computer of the right brand. This is the pure turtle ≡ slow idea.

zip around the world!? are we asked in № 2 which is an advertisement for a telefax device (it is the 1980s!). And they continue: not only a turtle is on the other side of the world in the blink of an eye. From now on You can also send all your business documents lightning fast. This again is the pure turtle ≡ slow idea. Another brand, a year earlier (in 1986) also emphasizes the speed of communication and reports how an elephant cruised from Brussels to New-York at 500 times the speed of sound abord a miniature device, their fax machine. Alternatively, we have seen a fax device being sold with the help of seals. But in that case, it is the reliability of the communication that is important, not the speed.

if it can be done like this! (3) the astonishing speed of a new model of desktop computer is contrasted with, once again, the slowness of the turtle. No other feature of the animal is mentioned.

or business slowed down a little lately? (4), the turtle again stands for the unwanted situation that needs to be remedied. And, here also, not a word about the turtle.

Aesopus about the hare and the tortoise taught us that slow and steady wins the race. This is much the same approach as turtles are slow, but with the added idea of ​​perseverance, or slow and steady, reliable. So essentially the turtle is being used as a positive example here.

(8, 9) may be inspired by the fable, but the hare is no longer there. It is now a battle between turtles only. So all the participants are slow and steady. But, unlike in advertisements №s 5 and 6 where slow steadfastness is viewed positively, this trait in №s 8 and 9 is viewed with pity. And the winner does not cross the finish line first by hard work, but by cunning; which indeed may be more appropriate in the business world. Or in politics, because there is also a slightly modified version of advertisement № 8 tailored to the political world. The new politician is a born attention manager. are we told by an attention manager par excellence instead of If your company scores average, then you belong to the category of dead companies. by a Funky business guru.

to lead long and productive lives (10) is about notebook computers equipped with batteries which give you lasting power on the road. From the setup and the reference to Mother Nature I would think the computer and the turtle have something in common. Even after a careful reading of the accompanying text, I am not entirely sure what that could be. Most likely the (smal) size is important, otherwise why would the image have Actual size printed in small letters? But what that has to do with the heading remains a mystery.

(11) is also flawed in my opinion. It is about a mobile pricing plan which allows you to make many calls without exceeding your budget. The telephone has been replaced by a turtle. But it is not the telephone that makes the cost exceed the limit. It is the person who calls a lot and for a long time! Therefore an image that would fit the message correctly would be one where the person, not the phone, is replaced by the turtle. Hence a turtle talking long and thoughtfully into a phone to its ear.

to show your real age (19) is for a skin moisturizer which slows down visible aging. In its opening the advertisement tries to steal a chuckle with We were inspired by Maxine, a 60-year-old turtle who looks only 30, and then continues with a dash of science Inspired by Sirtuin technology ¥. The text closes with another chuckle stealer: Of course, age will catch up with us at some point. But take your time.

This advert stands out. It is the only one ¶ that combines the turtle with bit of humor. It is also the only advert where there is some (scientific) content beside an easy reference to the longevity of turtles.

a sea turtle in a precarious situation (13). The advertisement to attract new staff was placed by a Dutch university that is embedding sustainability as part of all its study programmes —more at the relevant website (latest check 28.xii.2024). The private banking company of № 14 raises the same gigantic problem of the world's oceans and tells us that they are thinking about our future and therefore are investing heavily in sustainable and socially responsible investments.

In both messages, the turtle represents our planet with all its creatures that are victims of man's unbridled consumption habits. And the situation is very well chosen because the state of our seas is indeed worrying.

(15–16) also feature a turtle roaming the oceans, but I don't see why they were chosen. Refresh yourself in weightlessness (15) is for a bed. Maybe the turtle was chosen because it feels freed from the weight of its shell when it is swimming in the sea? Just as man forgets the burden of the day in this excellent bed?

Dive into our world of Watch wonders (16) is for jewelry and luxury watches. The dial of a wrist­watch is mounted in the turtle's carapace. A second watch serves as the front of a diver's helmet —note that such a helmet is also present in № 15. Again, I don't see why a turtle was chosen. Or is it perhaps because its shell allows the animal to dive safely deep underwater and the watch can survive the same? Who knows?

Animals regularly appear in jewelry advertisements. We have seen ant, sea snail, cattle, giraffe, but never oyster and it is only with the latter that I can think why that species would be chosen.

(17). This family car combines it all: sportiness, volume, ease of use, handy gadgets, you name it. However, we are still left with a big question mark: why the turtle? The animal looks like it was launched from the back of the car. The animal is also noticeably large compared to the vehicle. What is the story behind this photo montage?

It is clear that advertisers don't really know what to do with turtles. The animals have hardly any useful characteristics: they are slow and they live long. Hardly anything that could be linked to a product, certainly not in a positive sense. Who wants to buy something slow? And who nowadays wants to sell something that lasts long? Other animal species are often used to achieve a humorous effect. But even this seems almost impossible with turtles.

• Turtle
• Snake
• Chameleon
• Other reptiles