Marketing Strategy: Bad Will...

Most people toss junk mail. I study it.

This week, I got two subscription offers from the same magazine for the "guaranteed low rate." When I compared them, one price was higher. I thought the guarantee promised me the lowest price. It didn't. Read carefully: I'm guaranteed a low rate -- not the lowest. It's a clever copywriter's gimmick. And, to me, it's misleading.

My verdict might not hold up in a court of law. But in the court of customer opinion, misleading ads can lose sales and generate bad will in the process. Yesterday, Beth quizzed me in the grocery store: "How many grams of fiber do you think are in 7-grain bread?"

"Less than the 12-grain bread." I said picking up a nearby loaf.

They were the same -- 1 gram of fiber. The whole wheat, on the other hand, had 3 times more. Maybe I'm a fool to think choking down 12-grain bread will put more fiber in my diet. But there's no deception here, just misperception.

Avoid trying to fool your customers. Honesty will earn you more than just brownie points. Remember: "Fool me once and I will never buy from you twice."

- Phil Sasso