The other day, I was watching TV, and my show went to a commercial break. During the break, one commercial came on about a chocolate making company, and they were showing where they grow their cocoa beans, and the girl advertising it took a bit of chocolate from the bean and said, "Wow, so delicious!"
After looking this up, I learned that the cocoa from the beans is actually EXTREMELY bitter before it is processed, and is actually nearly inedible because of this. It has to go through the process of production, and only after the sugar is introduced into the chocolate does it become sweet and tasty. So my question is, how can she say it's delicious when clearly it isn't?
I dislike being lied to in any form. This was nothing less than an advertised lie.
Now, obviously, you have to inspire your customer to buy your product. You can't be ho-hum about it. However, where is the line drawn between perhaps embellishing a product and lying about it?
This is a difficult question to answer, because you have to keep credibility, but if you oversell and under-deliver, then your customers will not be happy.
You might be thinking, "You're not getting the bean chocolate, you're getting the finished product, so why complain?" This is a true statement, but it's the principle; if you're going to be dishonest about something "small," what's to stop you from being dishonest about something big? Where is the line drawn?
Embellishment is a tough mark to hit while still being honest, because not everyone will think your product is great for the same reason, and they may not like it at all. That's why you have to be very careful about what you say about your product, because you may have to contend with critics who would trash your product.
What do you think? How do you hit that perfect mark between good marketing hype and embellishment without selling a lie?
Friday, October 30, 2015
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Who Do You Trust?
When asked where you buy clothes, food, or supplies, who do you trust? Some people will buy things from thrift stores, where others will only buy from places like the Gap or Belk's. Some people will buy food products from Wal-Mart, but others will not even so much as set foot in their doors.
When it comes to business, you have to figure out who you're marketing yourself to. Unfortunately, you please everyone, and so you have to choose where you plan to gather your profits. Are you interested in selling items in bulk for lower prices like Wal-Mart, or do you need to buy from places like Publix who have better quality products for higher prices? I get my fruits from Publix because they are always better than what I can get anywhere else, but I have to pay for it. But that's my choice.
Or, are you interested in selling your products for higher prices, but therefore reducing the amount of sales? "Ritzy" stores can specialize in their products, offering premium goods are premium prices, or sometimes, the location where their store is placed is what gives it value. Places like Mountain Brook in Birmingham, AL, are known for their "high style of living," and therefore things cost more in that location than they might in other places. The contrast, though, is that people who live in that area generally make more money than in other places, which allows them to afford it.
The strange thing about marketing is that you can't always predict how your customers will behave. They may not like your product because they perceive it to be bad, without even having tried or heard of anything about your company. People are weird, and their decision making is weirder, so we as business people have to ask ourselves, "We know we have a great product, but the customer doesn't. How can we make it so that they know that they will be benefited by it?"
Think about how some companies get you to "trust" them, or at least come back. It can be as simple as offering rewards for returning to as extravagant offering something like a "try it for 30 days and if you don't like it you can send it back!" sort of thing.
So I ask you, who do you trust? Why do you trust them? Does your reason make sense? Does it have to? Let me know!
When it comes to business, you have to figure out who you're marketing yourself to. Unfortunately, you please everyone, and so you have to choose where you plan to gather your profits. Are you interested in selling items in bulk for lower prices like Wal-Mart, or do you need to buy from places like Publix who have better quality products for higher prices? I get my fruits from Publix because they are always better than what I can get anywhere else, but I have to pay for it. But that's my choice.
Or, are you interested in selling your products for higher prices, but therefore reducing the amount of sales? "Ritzy" stores can specialize in their products, offering premium goods are premium prices, or sometimes, the location where their store is placed is what gives it value. Places like Mountain Brook in Birmingham, AL, are known for their "high style of living," and therefore things cost more in that location than they might in other places. The contrast, though, is that people who live in that area generally make more money than in other places, which allows them to afford it.
The strange thing about marketing is that you can't always predict how your customers will behave. They may not like your product because they perceive it to be bad, without even having tried or heard of anything about your company. People are weird, and their decision making is weirder, so we as business people have to ask ourselves, "We know we have a great product, but the customer doesn't. How can we make it so that they know that they will be benefited by it?"
Think about how some companies get you to "trust" them, or at least come back. It can be as simple as offering rewards for returning to as extravagant offering something like a "try it for 30 days and if you don't like it you can send it back!" sort of thing.
So I ask you, who do you trust? Why do you trust them? Does your reason make sense? Does it have to? Let me know!
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