The famous advertising agency McCann Erickson's founding motto is 'Truth Well Told'. I've always admired this as much more than a simple corporate strapline, but as a guiding principle for all creative marketing and advertising ventures.
I was reminded of this earlier in the week, when I caught a TV spot promoting a local rail service (local to me at least). It's one of those mocked-up testimonials that are so popular these days. You know the sort of thing; an actor takes the part of the customer to give a glowing report of a product or service, thereby attempting to convince the potential customer of the client's benefits.
"The whole darn shooting match is a fabrication."
There can be all sorts of reasons for the use of a professional replacement. To have a more attractive face fronting the show; to be sure of a crisp, understandable, delivery; or because of the lack of a willing, genuine customer. But occasionally - and here's where the problems start - because the whole darn shooting match is a fabrication. That is to say, there was no customer and all the praise and endorsements are scripted and ficticious.
Back to the train service. In this ad we hear and see a young woman relating a tale of a visit to a particular station. She tells us how marvellous the ticket purchasing process was (no mention of a queue). Then we learn that, as the station was unfamiliar to her, she struggled to find her platform. Incredibly, the ticket vendor then appeared at her side, to carry her bag as he guided her to her train. He even waved her off. She then explains that in her mind he is now a 'knight' and should be called 'sir'.
"It may as well be untrue."
Now, I have no idea whether this actually happened. It may have done, but the idea that the man in the ticket window would also be steering folk around the station does strike me as somewhat unlikely. My point is that this is such an untypical narrative (I know, I use the station regularly), that it may as well be untrue. If passengers are actually attending this place, expecting similar VIP treatment, they will be sorely disappointed. The story doesn't display a unique selling point, rather it portrays a fantasy of customer service, completely unrelated to real life.
Consequently, of course, the advertisement fails. It merely sets the viewer up for disillusionment and discontent - not an ideal outcome, I'm sure you'll agree.
"The key word here is 'real'."
The lesson here is this: an advertising campaign worth its salt, must always relay a real reason for the consumer to act. The key word here is 'real'. Particularly in an era when consumers are able to broadcast their own truths across many mediums, it has never been more important that clients don't deceive their audience. Not least of all because they'll be rapidly rumbled and their budget will have been wasted. That's to say nothing of the damage to their reputation.
In short, the job of an advertising campaign is to take an essential, authentic element of a product or service, and convey it to a market in the most magnetic, appropriate and persuasive way. Or, in other words, 'Truth Well Told'.
