Advertising is crucial not only for brand identity but also for the strong market presence of a business. My viewpoint though is that advertising becomes more essential if it leads to building good relationships as a result of customer satisfaction and service reliability. Words matter and so do actions which justify the credibility of words.
Since consumers make up the entire planet, (including advertisers and us), we cannot afford to circulate make-believe adverts to the grave point of devaluing the meaning of every word if we do not wish the entire planet backfiring on us. For advertising was born to declare and practice TRUTH in Consumerism.
Gone are my parents’ generation when people are the ones waiting for advertised products and services they could try out with high confidence. It’s a different story in my generation. Advertisements are now chasing after people to patronize its products and services. Of course it’s supposed to be the case but it gives me the impression that advertisements persuade people to believe that it had invented remedies even when there are no ailments.
Then what’s the REAL CACHE? With this, I must refer you back to my recent article about Ethics and Social Responsibility.
A Sound Business is the Mirror of Truthful Advertising.
It usually happens that my personal encounters about truth in advertising manifest on the most prominent industries. In Food & Beverage for example, there are certain products I have been patronizing since young yet being a typical food explorer that I am and caught by enticing colorful adverts, I cannot excuse myself from trying out newly introduced foodies in the market. Since I’m quite particular and familiar with food ingredients, I normally get frustrated if the taste results are partially or completely in contrast to what I expect it should be.
On many travel instances in overseas and within my own country, my addiction to coffee cannot hide the fact how I am fully aware of some popular coffee houses that do not exactly blend the actual ingredients when they serve the coffee contrary to what it advertises. “Our premium coffee is made of 100% PURE ARABICA” is what’s BOLDLY stated at the entrance door of the coffee shops and even in their print and broadcast ads. A coffee aficionada like me knows exactly how an Arabica, Robusta, and Excelsia differs in tastes. How come I am rarely satisfied whenever I try out what was advertised?
It brings me to this thought – how can we actually determine if the printed ingredients on food labels are faithfully complied? Say for example, are organic and other so-called “healthy” packed foods really free from chemical hazards?
In the same way with other business industries, how do we know if gasoline stations top-up pure gasoline or diesel contents to its patrons without any single drop of mixed substances? I must be asking the same thing with perfumes and other healthcare / beauty products.
These businesses give their very best on prestigious advertisements. But I’m wondering how the actions are being translated. As a driver who gas up my own car every week and as a perfume maker, I should be aware of what's fairly necessary because I too, am a consumer by every right.
In the early years, business owners were completely hands-on in providing high quality customer service as well as constantly designing alternative or more practical approach for a much better service. In these modern times, I wink in awe on occasions where I see some businessmen who are still dedicated in promptly equating their words into actions.
Nowadays, most businesses engaged third party services to handle the company’s customer service via the fast rising Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) medium. I hate to say this but I’ve always been a favorite victim of poor 24/7 customer service mania. Be it in banking transactions, in mobile subscription/troubleshooting enquiries, in online business/shopping and any other personal or household subscriptions that an individual could have.
Not to mention the same sentiments of friends and colleagues, I cannot tell if this created function actually serves the purpose that is primarily required in a business. No qualms about the presence of BPOs in the business environment. I for one would consider it in a growing business to keep up with an efficient service. However, this is in consideration that my responsibility does not end with just engaging a BPO but also ensuring that an evident passion from customer service agents (supported by training, motivation and rewards) is ever present in my business in order to accurately and appropriately address the needs of customers.
I guess, this is where some businesses fail to consider at the frustrating expense of customers. Engaging third party services with agents who are trainable is entirely different from engaging services with passionate like-minded agents who are aware that it’s crucial to address customer needs in a highly satisfactory, punctual, polite and relevant manner.
Like I mentioned in my recent article, we are so well accustomed with this popular advertisement from most company websites – “Our customer service is always ready to assist you 24/7” OR “Our dedicated customer service team would be glad to serve your needs PROMPTLY”.
But this is the bewildering part – “If you have further queries, please fill-out the contact form below and we will get back to you SHORTLY”. Yet donkey years have passed and I cannot even cite one instance when a customer service agent has gotten back to me after completing the contact form nor has promptly returned my call within 24 hours and to add up to the dilemma, my queries weren't properly addressed and I was just passed on from one agent to another.
Words without actions apparently turns me off easily. The end should simply justify the means. In this case, ADVERTISEMENT should equal to PROFESSIONALISM.
In the Industry where I Operate
Three days ago, I was compiling the global tourism news for the World Travel Tidbits section of my Travel website. You may have read about the latest glitch in the airline market involving Fiji Airways last 29 August. The airline has mistakenly offered almost free airfares and charging customers with only $192 for surcharges for its Auckland-Fiji flights.
Obviously, it’s one of the best deals ever offered in the airline industry and so around 321 potential passengers immediately booked online and payments have already been reflected from their accounts while e-ticket confirmations were received from their emails. Two days later, all the passengers received an email from the airline stating that there has been a computer glitch and that their flights have been called off.
For the benefit of those who have missed this news or are keen to find out more, you may refer to this SITE.
The airline’s chief executive has written an apology letter clarifying that "special fares were published in error on the Fiji Airways website and they are unable to honor the zero cost tickets as the 321 tickets affected will result in lost revenue and have a significant financial impact on the business".
It is now pointless and improper to throw the blame to whoever is at fault here. But then again, this is one clear-cut example of an “Advertisement that has not been managed and delivered seriously and responsibly”.
Not only have we caused inconvenience to customers but we have also positioned our company’s image at stake. If this be the case, then this could be our True Color and this is not helpful for a business to be sustainable.
The media plays a pivotal role in upholding Responsible Advertisements. Apparently, media information also gets me confused at times. I hear one story from a broadcast media but I’m reading a different version of the same headline from a print media. Why is there even no consistency from the world’s most reliable source of information? This subject is another long debate to tackle.
The Triggering Point
How can we really know the Truth in Advertising? Consumers never get to see what’s happening in the actual field unless we are part of the actual field but with respect to non-disclosure policy, we certainly have no right to divulge company privacy and information. I’m a business owner too and I do claim for my right to privacy of company information to safeguard it from any unlawful attacks.
However, we should examine our conscience daily and ask ourselves, “Are we always conscious that as a business entity, we aim to show our True Colors (True Characters) which are beneficial for the Consumers”? That is – giving consumers exactly what is due to them. After all, a business can hardly survive without consumers and it is never fair to deceive them with “make-believe, too good to be true” words.
What I’m trying to point out here is the value of commitment in advertising. We can only promote products and services that are already proven to be completely rightful, useful, lasting and free from any incidental harm. We cannot promote something which has missing links or is not actually on hand yet with the danger that we won’t be able to deliver it truthfully at all.
Edgar A. Shoaff has popularly put it “Advertising is the art of making whole lies out of half-truths”. It is hurting for a business to fall prey of this reality.
For me, the real cost of Words Enacted is PRICELESS and a morally upright character reflects a true colorful gem. Because when Truth and Transparency are cultivated, Respect is EARNED. Let us stand in unity for this rewarding crusade.
Wishing everyone a very PROFITABLE start of the BER months.