Stop telling the truth about your brand.

I was recently struck by two early 20th century advertisements
discovered while perusing a nearby antique shop.  One for the Wrigley
company claimed they were  “The Best in Goody-Land.”   Another for Daly
hammerless guns simply read, “We’re The Best.”

Perhaps advertisers could get away with puffed up superiority claims
back then.   Not any more.  Today, advertising’s kryptonite is the
“customer review,” readily available through social networks, forums,
blogs and a growing list of sources.   Whether you’re looking for a
camera or a c-clamp, you can find any number of users who will give you
the objective appraisal that advertising can’t.  This phenomenon has
pretty much neutered, what I refer to as the “est” claims:  Best,
Easiest, Fastest, etc.   They simply don’t matter anymore.Despite this,
we regularly see brag and boast advertising. In fact, it’s more the
rule than the exception.  For some reason, many advertisers have a
death grip on the grown-old-and-tired notion that a leadership
position, real or puffed up, is something that should be shouted out to
the rooftops.   

What to do?

The prescription is simple: Stop telling the truth.

Actually, this is a rule of thumb borrowed from the art of
storytelling.  A good storyteller will tell you that small t-truth is a
response one tries to force on his or her audience.   Imagine a
stand-up comedian starting his monologue with,  “ I have a funny joke
that’s going to make you laugh.”     Or a movie with opening credits
that read, “   “please have tissue ready, this movie is intended to
make you cry.”   Small-t truths set up their audiences to resist the
intentions of the storyteller.

The alternative to the truth, is the Truth.  Big-T Truth is
something that audiences conclude on their own.   Big T truths are
implicit; small t truths are explicit.  Response to an idea isn’t
pushed; it’s pulled.  Where small-t truth will raise doubt, or worse
yet, cynicism, big-T Truth tellers gets credit for respecting their
audiences’ intelligence.   

Rather than associate your brand with small-t truths , associate it
with big-T Truths that are important to your prospects.  That usually
comes about by associating with an important belief or value with which
your brand.    Nike doesn’t sell the fact they are the leading sports
equipment maker in the world.  Rather, the Nike brand implicitly stands
for determination.  Harley Davidson doesn’t brag about how big and
popular they are.  They stand for rebellion.  Disney doesn’t tout the
fact that millions come there ever year. Instead, Disney stands for the
value of magic.

Understand that the features and benefits of your product or service
are different than the brand name that is used to identify them.  And
certainly, product features and benefits are important, especially if
they are unique.  But remember, features and benefits  have expiration
dates.  When Apple introduced their MP3 player, downloading music onto
a small, portable hard drive was big news.  Now MP3 players are made by
a number of manufacturers.  All the time Apple was talking about its
MP3 player however, it was also associating the Truth of   “cool and
contemporary” with its MP3 player, the IPOD.   Now IPOD is the
undisputed brand leader in the MP3 player category.  (And you never
hear them brag about that fact).
Implying a big-T Truth about your brand from the day it gets introduced
is one of the best ways to stay top of mind with your audience.   Oops,
I fell into my own trap.

Once upon a time there were two guys running for President of the
United States.  One told his truth that he was “The President Americans
Have Been Waiting For.”  The other, told our Truth, and one the
majority of voters needed to hear:  “Yes, We Can!”  The rest is, as
they say, is history.