Here in Detroit we have a company called J.D. Power & Associates. You've probably heard them mentioned on car commercials. They give out awards for "automotive quality," which is about as subjective a notion as anything can be. But they've done a very good job convincing people that when they say something on the subject, it's authoritative, even though there is no reason to think it really is.
So just about every car company wants you to know about the awards they've won from J.D. Power & Associates. These awards mean absolutely nothing because J.D. Power is just one group of people that makes subjective judgments about things. But because what they say is treated like a big deal, it feels like a big deal, and people respond to it as though it's a big deal.
