RESPONSIBLE ADVERTISING
Does that sound boring? If so, stick with me—it gets better!
Some years ago Bruce Barton shared this story:
"One day when I was young in advertising, I slipped a piece
of paper into my typewriter and wrote an advertisement for
a life insurance company. It was addressed to young husbands
and fathers. One of the coupons received in reply came from a
traveler in Rio de Janeiro, whose home was in New Jersey.
He was 38 years old, married, and the father of three children.
He wanted information on a policy that, in case of his death,
would guarantee his family an income of $3,000 a year."
(I told you this was written some years ago!)
"On the man's return to New Jersey, the policy was
written and the first payment made. A few days later
he went to his dentist to have a wisdom tooth extracted.
Somehow the cavity became infected, the infection
spread and he died.
"That incident made a deep impression on me. Many
times in the intervening years I have been reminded
that somewhere in New Jersey there are a mother and
three children, now grown up, who, without the slightest
suspicion of my existence, have had their whole lives
changed by the fact that one day I put together some
words that were printed in a magazine, and read in a
faraway country by their husband and father, who was
influenced to do what I suggested.
"It is a terrific power we wield, we men and women in
advertising; it needs to be handled carefully, truthfully,
sometimes even prayerfully. It is one of the most potent
of all the forces that, for better or worse, can influence
and change human lives."
Mr. Barton deserves kudos for his recognition of the kind
of power that advertisers and marketers possess. And while
we are recognizing that power for the tremendous force
that it is, we also need to be sure that each of us is wholly
aware of the awesome responsibility that accompanies this power.
First and foremost, advertising should be truthful and make
every attempt NOT to mislead the reader. Never ever lead a
reader into thinking they are to receive one thing, when—in
brutal fact—they are to receive another, whether that refers
to quality, quantity, color, texture, appearance, brand, or any
other variable.
Honesty allows for clean, mutually beneficial transactions.
It benefits the seller by resulting in a core of satisfied customers,
who become repeat customers, because of the positive trust factor.
It results in fewer merchandise returns, and, consequently, bigger
profits. It benefits the buyer by giving him a merchandise source
that he can trust in all areas, with the ability to rely on the word of
the seller time after time, with no hassles and the safety of
completely guaranteed satisfaction with his purchases.
Next, realize that you have the power to change lives
with your words!
Words ARE powerful! (After all, God used them to create
the universe!) They are one of those powerful, invisible
forces in the world, along with electricity, love, etc. Do
NOT exaggerate in your ads. Tell the exact truth.
If you are recruiting people for a business opportunity,
don't tell them they're going to be making $10,000 a
month, when that is going to be solely dependent on
their own efforts. You may state that it is POSSIBLE,
but don't mislead them.
Avoid hype headers: "I'm Making $5,000 a month on
the Internet—You can, too!" is better than "Make a Mint
Online!"
Truth in advertising carries many other more subtle
benefits, which time and space do not allow to be pursued
at this time, but, rest assured, all those subtle benefits are
even more beneficial to both seller and buyer than the more
obvious ones mentioned above.
Along those lines, dear readers, if any of you respond to
any advertisement you see in ’elf Expressions Ezine and find
that advertisement to be less than truthful, please email this
publisher at once with the complete details, and if those
details check out, we'll no longer publish that ad.
About the Author
Feel free to reprint the above article with this info intact:
Article penned by Mary Wilkey, publisher of 'elf Expressions
Ezine: http://elfexpressionsezine.com
To subscribe, email subscribe@elfexpressionsezine.com