Deceptive marketing practices are on the rise, contends a Brandweek article which includes several quotes from yours truly. In an age of increasingly jaded customers, I said the practice harms all marketers — and that it runs counter to truly engaging with consumers:
"The public is exposed to so many messages that when a growing percentage of those messages turn out to be deceptive, the result is yet another upward ratchet in consumer cynicism," said Tom Chandler, a 20-year ad copywriter and consultant based in Mount Shasta, Calif., who operates ChandlerWrites.com. "That growing suspicion of marketers and brands has become so profound, some companies can’t even get customers to open envelopes containing real documents."
Engage, Don’t Deceive
One of the pillars of engagement marketing is authenticity; deception doesn’t create engagement (for long),
There’s also the larger question of brand value; I have to ask why anyone would risk their expensive, carefully cultivated brand with a cheap trick designed to get an envelope opened?
"What I don’t understand is why organizations allow deceptive practices to undermine their carefully [and expensively] cultivated brand images in the first place," said Chandler. "I recently received a series of envelopes from a large credit-card bank where I held an account. All shared the same alarmist stamp that "Important Information" about his account was enclosed. "Of course, it wasn’t important information," Chandler said. "It was a series of cross-selling pitches. After a month or two, I canceled my account."
While some marketers will always be tempted to cut ethical corners, it’s simply not possible (nor desirable) in the engagement marketing world.
Is there a silver lining in the rising tide of misleading (however slightly) marketing practices?
For engagement marketers, I believe there is. The more jaded and fearful consumers become, the more secure your engagement marketing bond.