From the October 5th, 2009 New York Times:

“On Monday, the F.T.C. said it would revise rules about endorsements and testimonials in advertising that had been in place since 1980. The new regulations are aimed at the rapidly shifting new-media world and how advertisers are using bloggers and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to pitch their wares.”

So the jig is up. Advertising claims and the people who love them are once again under the microscope.

While I’ve used some pretty bodacious adjectives and gussied up a few product shots to bring out the best in my clients’ offerings, I’ve always tried to live by the slogan of one of my previous employers: truth well told.

Truth well told was originated by McCann-Erickson at a time when many products were making some pretty questionable claims. Even big companies were guilty: a 1914 ad for Ford’s Model T featured the headline “Buy it because it’s a better car” and suggested the reader get the particulars from a Ford dealer. Um…okaaaay….

Fast forward about a century. Laws and guidelines are in place to protect the public from misleading advertising claims and fuzzy endorsements. And generally speaking, I think the ad world does a pretty good job of policing itself as well. But, thanks to the anonymous nature of the internet, we’ve taken a few steps back.

I think the general public will always be wary of advertising but let’s get back on track. Let’s put our clients’ wares out there in the most honest, best possible creative light we can.

Let’s try the truth well blogged.

The challenges presented to all corporate marketing directors is: How do we accomplish our new business goals with the current budget? With so many opinions on how you reach your target audience, it has become increasingly more difficult to put a strategic media, direct mail or internet marketing plan together.

Image Credit: ALOFBRID

Keeping every opinion in the plan does not work.

Trying to wrap together everyone’s opinion and favorites spreads the budget and plan out to a point where, in most likelihood,  the plan never gains enough awareness or continuity to achieve any level of recall or response.

Putting a marketing plan together is not a popularity contest. It needs to be focused and based on solid research and experience. As a marketing strategist you need to  be confident in your decisions and hold the ground rather than giving in to popular consensus.

How many times have we all heard “Why isn’t this publication, web site or radio station in the buy?” It seems that to many decision makers are jumping on the “what is the flavor of the day”  media choice, looking for the holy grail of leads generation.

It does not exist.

How much share of eyeball does any consumer or potential client have? The deluge of media options and social media sites (even this blog) has transcended into a conundrum of who, what where  do you invest time and budget to reach out for new business.

Make well informed decisions and stick to the plan. Stand up and defend the thinking. As marketers, your opinion and expertise needs to be re-enforced and presented with competence and confidence. Do not try to spread out the plans tactics. Allocate the budget to the best of your capabilities to deliver the target audience with intelligent recommendations, not consensus executions built to simply please everyone.

Budget jugglers seldom attain the set goals.

Decision makers build brands.