Nobody 'Wins' From a Head-Butt - In Life or Business.
The ongoing local radio-ad 'pissing match' going on here in Maine between the Yankee Ford dealership and the other guy has made me decide to never give my business to either one of them.
The dealerships - or the advertising agencies that are advising them - would do well to learn from the similar "milk war" ads broadcast in Massachusetts during the 90's. In the ads, two competing dairy producers Hood and Garelick Farms repeatedly called each other about the added ingredients each one used to keep its milk fresh, thicker tasting and essentially 'better' than the competing brand. The result? People were grossed out and simply stopped buying any milk - period. It wasn't until a federal judge stepped in that the whole nonsense stopped.
AP: JUDGE ORDERS H.P. HOOD COMPANY TO PULL FISH OIL AD
The lesson business owners should learn? Focus your efforts on serving your customer better - not on beating your competition. In a free market, its the customer who decides who gets their business. No one 'wins' with a head butt.
It's a hard lesson to learn, and apparently even harder for some marketers to resist recommending their clients attempt. In 2016 (20 years after the Hood vs. Garelick battle) it seems that the big, bad milk monster is once again lashing out at a new, nutty competitor.
[Check out The Atlantic, July 2016 : Milk Producers Go Negative on Almond Milk]
'Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned,' said the Buddha.
I'd venture to say its even worse to broadcast that anger to an audience who (a) previously had no awareness of the 'feud' until you told them about it, and (b) really doesn't care.
As a business owner, if you don't like a particular competitor, that's fine. Just don't waste your time, energy - and money - by throwing stones at them and casting them as being bad, dishonest or evil. If you're wrong - or if the only people who also care are those on your payroll - then 9/10 times you are going to come off as being petty, childish and unprofessional.
"She's a Witch!" they all screamed...until rational minds prevailed.
If a competitor is treating customers poorly or doing something that is illegal, dishonest or disingenuous, you have to trust that 'The Market' will figure it out on its own. It usually does. While it sometimes may not move as swiftly as we would like, Karma really is a bitch.
As John Lennon famously pointed out to journalists when asked what his response was to Richard Nixon's personal attacks questioning Lennon's loyalties and patriotism; "Time wounds all heels."
Do the right thing. Focus on the customer and making your business the best it can be. Competition isn't the enemy. Negativity is.