Some common HR practices are a slippery road for your brand.
One of the probably costliest and most long-term oriented tasks of your business is building and maintaining your brand. Your brand is a promise to your customers. It takes years of commitment, excellence and creativity to earn the trust and favor of a significant share of the market. Yet, you are not the only party that can nurture or seriously hurt your brand. As soon as you open your doors for business, there are numerous stakeholders that can make or break your success.
It is understood that your customers and employees are stakeholders who need to be treated with respect. Any rising issues must be resolved quickly and to their satisfaction to ensure smooth business. Without any doubt, your shareholders are another top priority, even if only family members have a financial interest in your business. Your suppliers, the community in which your company operates, the environment and any organizations such as the government, unions or consumer protection groups are also concerned with what you are doing and in how you are doing it. Read more…
Marketing communications repeatedly use common phrases that are to convey a degree of trust to the consumer. Some of these phrases, however, are deceptive by nature and can be used to say something positive where there is actually a negative aspect of the product.
I do not claim that every use of such a phrase is intended deception; in most cases it is probably not. But why use this language if there is nothing to be hidden? Below is a list of the top 4 deceptive phrases used in marketing communications, what hidden message they could carry and how to do it better.
No MSG added
Often used in restaurants, this phrase does not necessarily imply that there is not MSG in the food. No MSG is added by the restaurant staff but it could already be in the basic ingredients that are used. This statement says something about the chef but not about the food. If the food is MSG free that it is a better way is to simply state “MSG-free” or “No MSG”. If the ingredients are already fortified with MSG, a statement like “No MSG added” may be technically true but dangerous. Some consumers are allergic to this substance, for instance.
Clinically tested
Many cosmetic, health care and personal hygiene products are clinically tested. This statement itself is completely insufficient if the results of the test are not communicated (which is often the case). Clinically tested is not a quality measure, stating a result that can be verified is. “Clinically proven to … / xyz Hospital” is a clear message that builds trust.
Statistically significant
Eventually, the decision where the line between statistically significant and not statistically significant is drawn lies with the researcher. If no margin is given, science assumes a measurement to be statistically significant if the potential measurement error is below 5%. This, however, is not a guarantee that the actual measurement was performed using 5%. Therefore the margin should be mentioned to clarify.
Lifetime warranty
What the manufacturer means with lifetime warranty is often only revealed in the fine print. Consumers may be deceived when they do not understand what a lifetime according to the terms is. In the worst case, lifetime refers to the simple lifetime of the product, suggesting that once the product breaks or stops working its life is over – and with it the warranty. I would avoid a statement like this altogether if the actual warranty is not extensive enough to wow the consumer.
Because of misusing technically true statements as the ones above to cover the underlying shortcomings of products or services, the marketing profession lost some of its acceptance among the consumers. If we want professional marketing communications to actually play a vital role in the future we should make sure that we regain and most of all deserve the consumer’s trust. Consumers rely on truthful statements about a rapidly growing number of products and services to make educated buying decisions.
Please join the discussion below to share potentially deceptive phrases you found in marketing materials.
When it comes to advertising, we know the variables to consider for the largest possible impact. For instance, we have to target the right audience, use copy that appeals to them and we have to place the ad so they actually will be exposed to it.
Recently I drove by a billboard that probably had all these variables right but there was something else wrong with it. There is one more variable that is often overlooked, just as in this case.
The billboard reads “Buy a gun for someone who can’t – Buy yourself 10 years in jail”, spread out over four lines with some other graphical elements on both sides of the message. Again, placement and the according audience were probably chosen well, the ad is seen by hundreds if not thousands of drivers each day. Read more…
He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it. (Pro 11:27 NIV)
We know that people make unwise decisions. This is how some shady business people make a quick buck using deception to drain money from incautious customers. Such practices are usually short-lived and often end in court. The business that has its customers’ best interest in mind, just as the best interest of all other stakeholders, will thrive. One of the most basic marketing lessons is that the acquisition of a new customer costs a multiple of what it costs to keep an existing customer. Seek good for them and you will earn their goodwill and with it repeat business. This way your company will sustain good profits in the long run.
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Our first Five-Minute-Analysis does not discuss an issue from the marketing field but the lessons learned apply to our profession just as much. The picture on the right shows a screenshot from a newscast about the “Navy SEALs Team Six” finding and taking out Osama Bin Laden.
The team of German news channel N24 planned to show the emblem of the unit as the background on their video wall. In theory this makes perfect sense and certainly is appropriate. The problem arises when the graphics designers in charge take the search for stock footage not seriously enough. This is something that can easily happen to marketers in any industry. Read more…
