The Fine line issue #2

Welcome to issue #2! Brand Strategist and Creative, Diana Caplinska, shares how ads can erode customer trust. Plus, a campaign that got us hungry for more.?

As a marketer, there’s a five-letter word that matters more than anything else.

No, it’s not sales (although we love this word, too).

It’s trust.?

Building consumer trust is the single most important thing you can do to future-proof your brand (and get that ??).

So we asked Diana Caplinska for her advice on how to take big swings with your ad campaigns without jeopardizing customers’ trust.

?? Did you know? 70% of businesses cite consumer trust as the main motivator behind compliance. (Source: Piwik PRO)

First, let’s see how you voted in last month’s poll.?

Poll results?

The quickest way to lose consumer trust ???

The votes are in. Inauthenticity and dishonest claims are the quickest ways to send your customers running for the hills (or worse, your competitors).?

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Interview

How to lose consumer trust in three ads ??

Here’s the highlights reel from our interview with Diana, featuring ad examples from our editor. Don’t try these at home.

1. Make misleading claims that play on consumers’ emotions

We asked Diana to what extent marketers deviate from the truth. Here’s her take.

I wouldn’t say that marketers deviate from the truth, but we do use emotional triggers, often subconscious ones, to make consumers act a certain way.?

Why? Well, because rational marketing …

• is set in stone, with no room for deviation – e.g. a toothpaste ad using the claim “Your teeth up to 3 shades whiter”?
• is already optimized to the moon – e.g. notice how I used the words “up to”? But you’re still remembering the number 3. That’s intentional.
• simply doesn’t work

Emotional campaigns are proven to be 2X more efficient at driving market share growth than rational ones. (Source: Binet & Field, IPA: The Long and Short of It)

But when does it cross the line?

Editor’s example: Nationwide

Nationwide Bank has one of the most famous ad bans of 2024.

The ad in question shows a fictional bank shutting branches to cut costs. It also makes this pretty bold claim, "Unlike the big banks, we’re not closing our branches".

"Emotional trigger? Mainstream disgust at self-serving Fat Cat CEOs.?Positioning? Nationwide is “the good guy”.

I’ll admit it. The ad is funny. I mean, who doesn’t love Dominic West?

But it’s also misleading. And the public was quick to call it out.

Take a look at these numbers:

?? 228 customers complained (they had, in fact, experienced branch closures)

?? 37% of people say they feel “more negatively” towards Nationwide after the ads

?? ASA pulled the ad for being misleading

2. Jump on trends that don’t align with your values (or actions)

We wanted to know how marketers can avoid inauthentic campaigns that dent consumer trust. Here’s Diana’s advice.

Start with your brand and what you stand for – genuinely.?

Many people (even marketers) think brand values are “fluffy”. That’s because most of the time they’re generic and vanilla.?

But if you’ve ever tried to sit down and write YOUR personal brand values, you would know they quickly get specific – based on your morals, boundaries, and motivations.?

You would be able to say, “I made this big life decision because the alternative choice would have contradicted my values.”??

If you can get to that level with your brand and ensure every campaign follows those values, you’re halfway there. It will be genuine.

Here’s what happens when your actions and values don’t align ...

Editor’s example: Shell

Shell was dropped as a supporter of the British LGBT Awards after protests in the community.

The campaign groups Queer House Party and Fossil Free Pride released this joint statement to explain the decision.

“Harmful companies have been latching onto our community via pinkwashing pride sponsorships for years now (well, since it has been profitable for them to do so) in an attempt to soften their image.”?

Note to brands: The public can sniff out inauthentic moves a mile off. Just don’t.

3. Skip testing your message and how it translates??

We asked Diana how brands can regain consumer trust after an offensive ad. Here’s her advice.

If a fail has already happened, it can be a long journey back to the top, depending on the severity of the proverbial crime.?

Sometimes simply letting the news cycle pass does the trick. Otherwise, you need:

• Direct and specific accountability (none of this “we were saddened to hear some customers were not happy” business)?
• Clear next steps and frequent reporting on improvement

Usually, a mistake of this nature doesn’t sit with the junior designer or even the approver of the ad. It sits with the C-level.?

Here’s how wrong things can go when your message doesn’t translate across different media formats ...

Editor’s example: Dove

Dove’s messaging is usually pitch-perfect. It champions body positivity and inclusivity, earning consumers’ trust.?

But its 2017 Facebook campaign caused major offense.

It was so bad it actually showed up in Google search results as “Dove racist ad.”

Here’s how it impacted the brand:

?? 44.55% of mentions had negative sentiment

?? 12,000 of those mentions used Dove with a variant of the word “racist”

?? #boycottdove started trending on Twitter??

Things got worse for Dove when it issued this rather weak apology.?

The lesson? A brand that's all about diversity should understand the implications of its messaging and imagery. Oh, and consumers won’t settle for an inauthentic apology ??

Marketing win

Burger King takes a bold creative risk and wins trust ??

Burger King wanted to promote that its Whoppers are now free of artificial preservatives.

And it did it by breaking the advertising rules (without losing consumer trust).

Its viral campaign showed what happens to a Whopper when it’s left out for a month.?

Spoiler alert: It gets moldy.

It was a not-so-subtle dig at its main competitor, McDonald’s (we’ve all heard the rumors that Big Macs don’t decompose).?

Some say it was a fail. I disagree.?

The “Moldy Whopper” campaign works because:

?? It’s unconventional – it uses the Von Restorff effect (when something stands out, we’re more likely to remember it)

?? It builds trust – it emphasizes its food is fresh and free from artificial preservatives

?? It’s authentic – Burger King cut 8,500 tonnes of preservatives from its products

Now for the stats:

? 14% increase in sales

? 8.4 billion impressions

? 88% rise in positive brand sentiment

Not bad for a moldy burger.

Poll

Every print marketer’s biggest fear … ??

Let’s talk about print, baby. Print ads, packaging relaunches, billboards … we want to know your biggest worry on launch day.

Share yours below.

It’s the night before you launch a print marketing campaign. What’s keeping you awake?

Click the image below to vote on Typeform.

You’ll get the results in next month’s issue …

This issue in a meme ???

Thanks for reading, I’ll catch you next month ??

With ?? from the team at Filestage – the online proofing software for brands in regulated industries.

Before you head back to the big bad world of marketing, can you do me a favor? I want to make great content that you’ll actually love, so leave a comment and answer the question below:

If I were to dedicate one issue of this newsletter to a challenge you’re specifically facing, what would that be?

Image sources:

Artelia Group

@GNCordova / Via Twitter: @GNCordova

@Dove / Via Twitter: @Dove

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