CEO Glen Gardner and Associates
Branding consultant to Z102.9 and 1600 ESPN
One of the most serious errors I see in marketing is the unsubstantiated claim. For some reason, many people seem to think that the consumer will buy it - hook, line and sinker. The consumer in 2011 is more connected and more educated than ever. With smartphone penetration growing each day, consumers can instantly seek more information on anything. Most of the phones now include scanners that can instantly do a web search that will yield mountains of information on almost any product, business or service. The modern consumer is very leery.
When an unsubstantiated claim is made, you are setting yourself up for failure. When the consumer hears something like "best in the world" or "world-famous," you are setting the bar very high. In most cases there are other ways to say your product or service is great.
One of the best ways is to put a customer in the ad. An honest testimonial carries much more weight than an unsubstantiated claim. It works a lot better to have a customer telling a story about their experience with your business than tripping a potential customer's sniff test reflex.
As in many facets of life, honesty in advertising truly is the best policy. Tell the truth, tell a story, deliver on your promises and your advertising dollars will go a lot further and work a lot better!
-- Glen Gardner/CEO GG&A 608-848-8502 office 608-345-5291 cell gardner.glen Skype http://www.glengardner.net/
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