Time for Marketers to Clean Up Their Act!

Some years ago, a prominent Australian hi-tech company launched a product called Maestro that bundles community-building features like chat rooms, file sharing and instant messaging into one application.

The company envisaged smaller Internet service providers (ISP's) as their main target market for the software. The company president contracted with a sales/marketing person to handle the ISP market. He personally trained the candidate for two weeks, emphasizing all the while that the ISP market is one that needs to be gently handled.

"Don't worry," the salesperson apparently reassured his unsuspecting boss. "I know some great ways of doing marketing."

At the end of the two weeks, the contractor sought out a number of email discussion groups and online message boards frequented specifically by ISP owners.

He created two false identities, and struck up "conversations" between the two ID's. The subject of these chats? You've guessed it - what a wonderful product Maestro is!

Before very long, our crack salesperson got embroiled in an argument with another poster on one of the lists. Others became curious and discovered that just one IP address was used with the two IDs. This meant that the two "people" were actually just one person.

When he realized that his newly-revealed antics didn't sit so well, to say the least, with the boss, he readily handed in his resignation. All the same, he didn't really understand what the fuss was about.

"This is the way the game is played," the president quoted him as saying. After all, he had not misrepresented the product or the company in the postings. All he had said was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!

So what's the problem, then?

Shaking your head?

Are you shaking your head in disbelief? Well, that's an encouraging sign!

But you must know - such deception abounds. Many apparently respectable people would write here: "deception" (in inverted commas). I mean, we're not talking here about anything really CROOKED, are we?

I wouldn't bank on it. If something's not crooked, it must, by definition, be straight.

When I look around the Internet - never mind the brick-and-mortar world - I don't need a builder's plumb line to tell that an awful lot's going on out there that's not straight! But who cares, anyways?

In the case we just described, the company president received a number of emails supporting his former salesperson's actions.

"Most of them took the stance of "The high road is a bad road," confessed the president. "I don't agree with them," he said, "but I can see their point."

The same news source that reported this incident, also cited a story about a leading entertainment company that recently attracted a lot of embarrassing press - and imminent legal action.

Two very enterprising advertising reps had created a fictitious film critic, who most obligingly wrote up some rave reviews for the company's promotions.

Eleventh Commandment

The ruse was discovered and the two hapless advertising people suspended. But I think it's reasonable to assume that these two are far outnumbered by colleagues who are a little more adept at fulfilling the Eleventh Commandment: "Thou Shalt Not Get Caught!"

We could go on and on.

We could talk about the authors who encourage their friends to post glowing reviews on Amazon.com, even when they haven't read the books they refer to. Curiously - or perhaps, typically - this practice is apparently cited with admiration in a recent book on online promotional methods. (Well, if you produce a product and I'm your friend, it MUST be a great product, right?)

Should we talk about the well-known writer who received an email with the subject line "RE: Your Story Proposal"?

Thinking it must be from an editor to whom he had submitted a proposal that he had forgotten about, he opened it immediately. The message was a blatant ad for a new piece of software. (Big deal! All they stole was a couple of minutes of his time, right?)

Or what about the marketers who urge you to take advantage of a time-sensitive special offer that expires on June 30? ("Yes, we should have added which YEAR, but typos do happen!") When your order, don't forget to claim your free Exclusive Report - a $29 value. ("Yes, you can get it free from Acme even WITHOUT an order, but are you telling me I don't know the value of my own merchandise?")

Inverted commas?

And you still want to talk about "deception" in inverted commas?

Is the high road a bad road? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know.

But I do know one thing. If you're a merchant and I don't trust you, you went get far on any road.

And if the consumer body, collectively, loses trust in the collective community of merchants, who will there be to trade with at all?

Good road, bad road, what's the difference? As far as I can see, the high road is the ONLY road.

Let me know what you think.

Azriel Winnett is creator of Hodu.com - Your Communication Skills Portal. This popular website helps you improve your communication and relationship skills in your business or professional life, in the family unit and on the social scene. New articles added almost daily.

---

How to Save Time and Achieve More by Creating High-Leverage Marketing Assets

The single biggest, non-renewable asset you have is your time.... Read More

Blowing Your Own Horn

Opportunity Assistance Business Resource Center At first you must think... Read More

Deciphering Marketing Lingo: Whats the Difference between a USP, Single Message and a Tagline?

Maybe you've heard these different marketing terms, maybe you haven't.... Read More

Survival Strategies

1. Do the moneymaking things first.For an entrepreneur, generating income... Read More

Effective Tips For Telemarketers

I had a telemarketer call me recently. Here's a rough... Read More

The Marketing Secret Every Child Knows

Little Kids Ask Until They Get What They Want.Mom, Mom,... Read More

When, Why, and How to Use Mailing Lists

Mailing lists may be the cause of more heartbreaks than... Read More

Spike TV - Know Your Audience

What do Klingons, giant rubber bands, and monster trucks all... Read More

Web Site Marketing Strategy: 8 Ways To Increase The Perceived Value Of Your Freebies

It is a well known web site marketing strategy: To... Read More

Shopping Comes Back To The Community

THE GREAT BRITISH TRADITION OF STREET MARKETS IS UPHELD AT... Read More

Creating Your Unique Selling Proposition or USP

Creating Your Unique Selling Proposition"Don't tell them what you do.... Read More

New Years Revolution

No, that's not a typo in the title. Resolutions are... Read More

Customers: The Key To Successful Marketing

How well do you know your customers?What is the primary... Read More

Go Guerrilla

Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term guerrilla marketing, which I... Read More

Everybody Loves Raymond....You Should Too!

Popular TV Series Provides a Powerful Marketing LessonSmall Business owners... Read More

Finding Your Niche: What Do You Want To Be Known For?

In my experience, there are two kinds of small business... Read More

Lessons From a Six Year Old

My 6 year old daughter Emily knows exactly what she... Read More

Do Not Consider Running the Same Yellow Page Ad until You Read This

Grant Businesses have a love-hate relationship with the Yellow Page... Read More

Resume Writing Service Marketing

Marketing A Resume BusinessWhen starting a resume business, your marketing... Read More

Attract Your Dream Customer

Have you clearly defined your target audience? These are the... Read More

Marketing Hesitation Costs Dearly

Timing is everything. Hate to be late? The early bird... Read More

Mail Orders Most Common Mistakes

THE GREAT MAIL ORDER MYTH There are a number of... Read More

Why Referral Business Is So Valuable

With so much money invested on innefective advertising, it's time... Read More

How to Add Warmth, Color & Texture to Your Advertisements

"?A powerful agent is the right word?" --Mark TwainAnd what... Read More

Target Your Share of the 50-Plus Market

It's quite apparent that Americans are living... Read More

Do You Really Know Your Prospect?

I'd like to introduce you to someone. I don't actually... Read More

Pricing Strategies in Marketing

Price is an often overlooked marketing strategy, as many tend... Read More

Top 5 Tips For Media Selection

Marketers have a wide variety of media at their disposal.... Read More

Trade Show Promotional Products ? Boosting Booth Traffic

I was about seven or eight years old when I... Read More

Pamphlets and the Money They?ll Put in Your Pocket

People are making a fortune on pamphlets. If you go... Read More

More Marketing Dope

Direct marketing can make you very successful, but you've got... Read More

How to Turn Your Promotional Products Expense Into a Profit Center

If you use promotional products you probably already know the... Read More

Differentiate or Die

Sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it? Well, I can tell you... Read More