Maintaining Morality In Advertising & Marketing

I recently ordered a commercial for Darling that featured two gorgeous twins (one blonde & one brunette). The purpose of the commercial was to explain the science behind "subliminal seduction."

One of the actresses were afraid to say the word "seduced" (which was written into the script) because she also works a corporate job. Here is the finished product...

Do you think it's congruent with our brand even though the script talks around the topic at hand?

Subliminal seduction in marketing involves distracting the user from what’s right in front of them and creating positive, subliminal associations with a brand, product, or service.

The word “seduced” might suggest images of busty, scantily clad displays of sexuality plastered all over your television and cell phone screens. Sex sells, as they say. But the word "seduced" can also be used to describe a biological response to something completely natural, ethical, and holistic.

Using Seduction As Your Guide

The principles of the ancient philosopher Aristotle can be used as a blueprint for how to market your business.

These concepts are not new.

Seduction has been used in politics, religion, education, and medicine. But we all seem to carry a sense of guilt along with seduction. Using a moral compass is something that people have talked about for centuries as well; at least in terms of civilized society. This leaves me wondering, can there be morality AND seduction in advertising?

My goal in writing this article is to establish a subtle awareness of when you're being manipulated and when you're being seduced and then to encourage you to use that awareness to ethically seduce prospects into your sales funnel.

What's the Difference Between Right & Wrong?

Right, in the context of goodness, is not about describing a general course of action. It's about a specific course of action or path that is right for you.

Your personal beliefs & standards set the tone for the quality of life desired, and how you expect to be treated. This is very subjective matter because each of our standards is derived from personal experience. Our hopes, dreams, and fears play a major role in what we discern as right or wrong. Fundamentally, our morality will guide us toward a very specific lifestyle. There is no universal right or wrong.

Determining Where Your Advertising is On the "Morality vs Seduction" Scale

One way of learning how to become aware of your "moral compass" and progress toward your advertising/marketing goals is to look at the areas where you do not do as well as you should. Superman’s weakness was Kryptonite. What’s yours?

• Do you procrastinate when making big decisions?
• Do you spend too much time thinking instead of acting?
• Do you act too spontaneously?
• Do you contemplate the results of your actions and decisions?
• Are you easily swayed by other people?

When you’ve acknowledged your faults in business, that energy radiates throughout every layer of your business and customers can always feel it. An example would be, a business owner feels an insecure possession of power because he thinks his customers aren't very loyal.

Acting on this distrust, he focuses on hiring salespeople who can acquire new customer very quickly instead of focusing on customer service & customer retention. Pretending to "deal" with the lack of customer loyalty, the company send out customer satisfaction surveys after every call.

The surveys are sent from an unmonitored email so customers that reply to the survey never hear back from the company. This further frustrates the customer because their sensitivities & grievances are now aggravated by an ingenuine attempt to understand the customer's point of view. Ultimately, these efforts expedite the customer's exit from the relationship, and at the end of the quarter, the CEO says "our customers aren't loyal, they only care about price."

Do Your Research

When building a marketing strategy, it's important to identify your ideal customer's triggers & hot buttons. This will allow you to create informed & thoughtful content. Using relatable experiences you have encountered in the past in similar circumstances, authentic language, genuinely adding value with no strings attached, telling emotional stories, and writing direct & honest copy goes a long way.

Figuring Out What Needs to be Done

Asking yourself the questions above will facilitate your understanding of any moral conflict in marketing, and assist you in coming to the right decision. You must, of course, be totally open and honest with yourself in terms of your own abilities and how your decisions have affected outcomes in previous situations. We all make mistakes. The crucial thing is to learn from them so that they are not repeated.

It's very common to see a company or celebrity brand make an attempt at subliminal seduction, and fail miserably. Companies like Dove, H&M, and Pepsi are just a few that have been in the media recently for their discretions.

According to the great Albert Einstein, insanity is about repeating certain actions and expecting them to have different outcomes. The internet is like the Wild West, and there's no roadmap for balancing morality and seduction in marketing.

Building Brand Associations Based on Your Research

Once you’ve completed your in-depth customer research, don't hesitate to get really specific about: who you're marketing to, what you're marketing to that demographic for, & why your solution is the best solution for that very specific individual.

Then, strictly consider the customer's unique needs & desires - leaving out your own agenda and business goals. You can trust that the research you did on the forefront helped you to select the perfect customer archetype, and let your genuine understanding of that very specific individual guide your marketing efforts.

Kind of like parenting...

Marketing is Akin to Parenting

How you view your prospects & customers will affect the trust, and mutual respect expressed through your marketing efforts.

Imagine if a company like Guess used racy imagery while the CEO simultaneously judged the actors and their clients for being slutty & immoral. Somehow, that energy would come back around & cause problems in their sales funnel... That's like buying your kid a donut and then calling them fat.

Companies like Chick-fil-A & American Apparel are very familiar with this sort of backlash.

In building a brand fantasy, your personal judgments, morals, & beliefs no longer matter. That's why it's important to build a company where you share synergistic beliefs & values with your customers.

It's important for a brand to experience congruency across the board. This earns trust & respect. Your physical storefront both domestic & international, press articles, and online branding & reputation should all communicate the same fantasy ideal. Even if it isn't real...

If you haven't holistically bought into your own vision, who will?