Social media channels, especially exciting visual mediums like You Tube, can be hugely beneficial to a business looking to create new consumers and of course retain the ones they have.
Businesses and their marketing teams can show off with their commercials. They can stir emotions, showcase product, and manufacture buzz. They can also do irreparable damage.
After taking some time to look over hundreds of online ads, I’ve been able to put together a few tips for consumer and marketers.
It’s my ‘Don’t Do This’ list. For consumers, don’t fall for it. For business owners, don’t do this.
1. If you are selling a product like food or vehicles, make sure it looks and does what you say it will. I remember seeing a new burger being featured on ad and decided to order it based on its visual appeal. When I saw it in person, I thought my order was wrong. It didn’t look anything like the ad. Stylists, photographers, and lighting operators can make anything look better than it really is. It’s a great move to get customers in the door, but repeat business where the money is really at, is out of the question. I’m done with that place after essentially being hoodwinked. Same goes for a car. When they rev the engine on TV, my car better sound like that. And it better get the same gas mileage, too. Major lawsuits have been lost by car companies that failed to live up to their gas mileage claims.
2. Internet ads will not find you love or a miracle cure. The countless dating websites may tout scientific ways to find your match, but the actual proof of how many lasting relationships are found, well, it simply can’t be found and proven. The same message comes across with miracle cures like bracelets that end arthritis, pills that stave off this or that disease, or ‘natural’ remedies for serious ailments. There is ZERO hard evidence that these really work. More often than not they are placebo cures. The consumer-patient feels better, which is good for the spirit, but they truly aren’t cured or even medically better.
3. Speaking of ‘natural’ … ‘natural’ foods are almost entirely a myth. Cereals, snack, meat, and much more all have been labeled that claim they are produced without any sort of scientific assistance or worse yet that they can cure certain ailments. Yes, there are foods that help reduce the risk of disease but more times than not, it’s a severe case of stretching the truth. Substantial health benefits have yet to be shown. Follow the proven food guides and you might be surprised just how well they work and don’t fall for advertising that can’t back up its claims.
4. Body-enhancement products are some of the worst ads for claiming to be sure-fire remedies. They boast being able to make you look younger, take away wrinkles or cellulite, and turn back time. Creams, rubs, pills and the like just aren’t proven to work. Again, they are placebo results for the most part. The consumer might feel better but real results aren’t there.
5. Last but not least, there are the even-present get-rich-quick schemes like selling gold for big dollars and flipping real estate ventures. Consumers, please don’t get taken. Your savings are a stake. Business owners, don’t be these guys. Don’t cheat people out of their hard-earned money. More than anything this is about your personal moral code and conscientious.
By: Mark Pavelich The Mark Consulting & Marketing President /Ceo
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