Small Business Revitalization Blog

This morning I was on the BRW site and saw a banner advertisement proclaiming 'Win a chance to meet Warren Buffett!"  All you had to do was subscribe to the Australian Financial Review.  It sounded great, but in the small print it actually stated that there was no guarantee the winner would actually get to meet Mr Buffett!!  Imagine that - you win the prize, but actually it's only the "chance" that you might run into him!  How disappointed would you be!!

AFR is a publication whose reputation and brand has been built on its high level of credibility and integrity of reporting.  What brand manager would let a promotion like that out the door?  Is the AFR so desperate for subscriptions that they're willing to ruin the credibility of their brand by being a little too 'smart' with their competition wording?  Technically they are not misleading their subscribers, but most people would not take the time to read the competition headline literally - 'meet Warren Buffett' would be the message that sinks in.

How often do you run a promotion or other marketing activity which is ever so slightly misleading for your customers?  Wouldn't you rather be a brand which values integrity in its communications? It is never the reality that matters but the perception.  Whether we like it or not, reputations are built on perception not reality.  The next time you put together a promotion, make sure you check what perceptions you are creating!