Promises, Promises - January 29, 2007
So I wake up last night having yet another 80s music flashback. For whatever reason, I’m thinking of the song “Promises, Promises” by that one hit wonder, Naked Eyes. You know the one (come on, you know you do!): “You make me promises, promises…you knew you wouldn’t keep. You make me promises, promises…why do I believe?”
Why do I bring up some sappy song in a blog on the current state of advertising?? From Your Catholic Superstore Save on Heartgard at 1-800-Petmeds Heart Shield Herbal Heart Shield com On any given day, we execute advertising plans derived from loads of research, creative thought, blood, sweat and tears….make the deadlines…rush the creative to the station, press, etc…..get it out on the airwaves….essentially make promises to the buying public that this client’s product or service will make their lives easier, better, cooler, etc…only to watch those promises go unfulfilled when we go to buy.
This problem is particularly acute in the retail and service industries. How many times have you been lured into the store of some big box electronics retailer hawking some cool digital camera or flat screen TV only to walk away disappointed with the whole experience? The sales rep was rude….or didn’t know the product…they were out of stock, etc. Or take any automotive retailer. The automotive community spends billions of dollars a year (the largest spending segment for advertising)….selling the public on the desirability of their cars…only to blow it when we go to buy the product. Oops. Out of stock…Or that price leader just got sold! Or maybe the product performs as promised but the whole sales process was so miserable we no longer believe the promise. Opportunity…and marketing dollars wasted. Any good feelings we had toward the product manufacturer or dealer gone. Promises made, promises broken.
What gives? Here you are a business owner…. 30+ Rogaine Hair Treatment Products Shop, Compare and Save at Pronto Shop for Health & Beauty Products Rogaine 5% Buy direct from sellers andSearch, Shop and Save mens rogaine Five percent Rogaine extra strength for men triple pack spending tons of money to advertise a product or service …and then you go and drop the ball when we try to buy it from you by putting us in front of staff that doesn’t know anything about the product, doesn’t care about us, is rude, ambivalent, etc.
How about this? How about having a conversation throughout the company about the market value of a customer…about the idea that all those marketing dollars are wasted unless the company also provides that customer with an exceptional experience …about the idea that with so many choices available to the buying public any promises made by the company better be backed up as well by the employees because, if not, we won’t believe any more. And we’ll go buy something else. And the company won’t exist anymore.
I promise.