Branding| Marketing | Environment | Advertise | Honesty | Market | Regulation

When Is Branding Disingenuous?

The reality is that many brands are actually uninterrupted speech, not a formal discussion. That doesn't mean a channel of communication won't create a better, more robust, more useful brand. But, alas, most organizations can't handle that truth. So they do their best to do it the old way.
Branding asks the question "What is it?", when the question really should be "What is it for?"
The approach should always take the consumers to believe the brand and trust it.
Now a days………….!
“Big brands that are costly and trust worthy are dying.
Little brands which you can “TRUST” are really doing great.”

vasanth arkachari, interaction designer, centre for development of advanced computing - July 27, 2007

your website is awesome!

patricia alvarez, manager, intergraficas - July 28, 2007

If the actual product is disingenuous then the promotion of that product will follow suit.

Levon Guiragossian, Marketing Director, Place Marketing Group - July 29, 2007

Branding is disingenuous when the branded 'entity' that results from miles of clever orchestration and overpriced strategy does not mirror the follow-through behaviour of the actual entity that branded 'aura' stands for. Consumers eventually find it. Consistency in behaviour can't be orchestrated, people see through it soon enough. Intuition kicks in. Of note here is the transition from Pine and Gilmore's 'Experience Economy' concept to one based on authenticity. I think the BS-detectors are getting stronger and if you can behave like an authentic brand suggests you will, you are indeed disingenuous and dodgy.

Michelle Wigzell, Graphic Designer - July 30, 2007

When they show the power of there product more than what it is.. then we can call it is Disingenuous. Now a days specially in automobile industry it become trend. Ex.. Showing astronauts in vehicles

shivayogi sc, UI Designer, CDAC-India - July 30, 2007

As with all things, it can span a range. I certainly think a lot are making things worse for themselsves and the message by being so darn clunky, especially with the environment. If a plane is more fuel efficient or a bank goes 'carbon neutral' then great, but it really only helps their bottom line or CSR report at the AGM. Hardly worth an ad. And cars with leaves blowing out their exhausts are plain daft. And some are plain desperate. I have AdSense on my blog and often click on intriguing, if vague, ads covering many green areas. Almost all seem to lead to Exxon Mobil. If I thought poorly of them before, I think even less now.

Peter Martin, Junkk Male/Big 'Ed, Junkk.com - July 30, 2007

As long as it is fairly simple to see the difference between obvious "lies" and truth, then by all means lie away. Common sense is the best sense of all.

In one aspect, all brands are lies, since they often implicitly promise values and a lifestyle that they cannot possibly fulfill.

Per E Asberg, Key Account Manager, Nepa.se - July 30, 2007

Disingenuous or not, a brand cannot be sustained without a product or service that adds value to the life of a customer somewhere in the world. If the web site, or the product, or the service does not resonate value to a prospect on an experiential level whether emotionally, practically, spiritually or even superficially it cannot be made a sustainable brand. It must add value. Without value the brand will not survive the forces of natural selection and brand Darwinism.

E. Scott Denison, Director of Brand Experience - July 30, 2007

It is not necessarily the branding that is disingenuous ("an identifiable entity that makes specific promises of value"), it is the *advertisement*.Advertisers must create ads that are over-the-top to capture attention before they can try to generate interest. Unfortunately, too many advertising agencies are loosely ethical and will ultimately do whatever it takes to capture that attention. Worse yet, too many clients are all-too-ready to sign off on the creative that they think will 'generate buzz' and make the awareness needle move.Branders and advertisers would be well served to clearly communicate real benefits that show why the brand is better than competitors.At the end of the day, you have some hair brained creative who proposes a whacky idea (that might be disingenuous) and some marketing person who signs off on it.The better question is: Why do companies accept/allow this type of advertising on their behalf?

Dave Dolak, Vineyard Manager, http://www.BrandTrellis.com - July 30, 2007

The ad may be disingenuous even if the brand marketer did not intend it. This reflects the power some agencies hold over younger brand marketers and the inability of senior management to play the "emporer has no clothes" card with the agency. At the same time, the creative team must be permitted room to stretch the limits to communicate in a manner that results in recall. Ultimately, the brand management team must be the stewards held responsible for the communication.

Mark Witzling, VP, www.marketingwitz.blogspot.com - July 30, 2007

It must be obvious when the ad is just a metaphore, a fantasy or a humurous lie. The target audience of a SUV is mature enough to understand that is impossible to climb the highest mountain with it. On the other hand, a teenager can be fooled by a cigarrete ad that claims to make he/she looks stylish. The boundaries must be clear and as far as I'm concern, regulated by the market itself (in a advisory concil, for example). Only when costumer's health are at stake, the government should paticipate.

Fabio Monteiro, Marketing Analyst - July 30, 2007

Car companies and their ad agencies must be desperate to create unique concepts to promote their vehicles. TV news programs are cluttered with car commercials to a point where you can't differenciate one from the other and most are irrelvant anyway. I am turned off especially by commerecials that emphasize speed and risky manouvers that encourage some those cowboys that cut in and out of traffic, endangering every other driver. This ikind of ad is certain to diminish my repect for the brand that is thus being promoted.

Herb Meyers, ex-Interbrand - July 30, 2007

The truth about a product... Is it possible we're just making alot of stuff people really don't want or need? Are some products really loved? Really needed? Do they truly embody a brand? Couldn't they be marketed with subtle, novel, clever twists? In ways that are healthy, and truly meaningful to people? Just a thought.

Michele Champagne, Designer, Interbrand - July 30, 2007

Advertisements can be as disingenuous as possible, however companies need to be prepared for the outcome of running those ads. Customers will likely expect the product to live up to the expectations set forth. If it doesn’t, their needs will be unsatisfied and the likelihood they’re remain loyal decreases. The key is being open and honest with your customers so that you continue to meet their expectations, thereby retaining them. Finding the balance of catching their attention with an amazing ad, and staying true to the product is the key.

anonymous - July 30, 2007

The first rule of advertising should be the same as that of doctors "First, do no harm." Branding should be allowed to suspend reality where it serves the end goal as long as it does no harm. A consumer can realistically be expected to understand that an SUV can not climb a 90 degree rock face based on their internal knowledge. However, a false claim about the benefits of unhealthy food options (or tobacco) can be believed based on consumers internal knowledge (or lack thereof). This advertising therefore fails the first rule - it causes harm.

anonymous - July 30, 2007

The thing about a product is that it is not only tangible! People dont buy a pair of diesel jeans just for the fit, but also the message that the brand communicates! Advertisments bring together the tangilble with the intangible assets that make brands what they are...Without these all we would have is a bunch of stuff that all looks the same and does nothing for the consumer but its core purpose, this in any reality will never happen.

Gina McMorran, Mobiclicks ~ your mobile web agency ~ South Africa - July 31, 2007

Branding is disingenuous when the product doesnâ€™t deliver on the promise. This is clearest when the promise involves some objective feature or function (such as the ability to scale mountains in a truck, or the ratio of broth to noodles in soup). But itâ€™s also true of more implicit claims â€“ will these jeans make you cool or will this car make you feel prosperous? The answer depends on inspiring a collective cultural agreement based on the widely acknowledged brand attributes. In other words, branding is often most disingenuous when itâ€™s just plain ineffective.

Josh Kelly, Principal, FINE Design Group - July 31, 2007

Behind a brand There is much more than a product, there is the concept, there is the idea, the perception, that`s what really you are trying to sell, all jeans are the same, what really makes the differents among all of them is the concept, the way you are perceived by your consumers

Luis Martelo, Marketing analyst, Magazines Colombia - August 8, 2007

Branding can be disingenuous when an external brand image is manufactured primarily for a target audience's consumption. When a brand first focuses on its inherent, internal values and vision and actively communicates these to both internal and external audiences a strong brand culture can be created -- the brand can stand for something. When this is accomplished, branding is true and not disingenuous.

Mike Mirkil, Director of Business Development, ID Branding - August 9, 2007

Branding becomes disingenuous when:
1. the branding is pictured as the actual truth and not as a wild of a product attribute.
2. When not even a single consumer feels the benefit as told in the branding material.

For.e.g: The car climbing a 90 degree incline is not dis ingenous because everyone will take it only as an exaggeration. But a cough syrup showing relief in 5 minutes should be able to relieve at least one consumer in 5 minutes.

Adyan Prabhakaran, Area Sales manager, United Spirits Limited - August 10, 2007

There are 2 parts brand communication - 1. portrayal of need/desire for the brand

Meera Iyer, Business Analytics - August 13, 2007

If we all agree that the presented advt is hyperbolic then I guess there is nothing to worry about. If an entire population knows that something shown in the Advt is not true, unless it hampers the lifestyle, it should be taken with a true spirit and let it be so. At least, the advt served its purpose--"We did take notice of it".

Dr M Javed Sipai, Asst. Manager, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals - August 13, 2007

If we are speaking about 'truth' we must understand it as either 'relative truth' or 'an aspect of absolute truth'. For example, Coca-Cola cannot become ubiquitous with drinking. It must attach itself to certain truths about drinking and not step on the feet of competitors like Pepsi who have their own focus on certain truths about drinking.

These 'truths' are the boundaries of their market share. No one brand can be synonymous or ubiquitous with all truths regarding a product or service.

It must juxtapose itself to other brands in order to avoid becoming hidden.

anonymous - August 13, 2007

i work in an ad agency in India and am sorry to have to say i agree with your point of view!!Was scandalized when i just joined and saw to what extent the truth was being stretched at times it was almost a blatant lie!!Currently saw a Mc Donalds ad showing a pregnant mother munching on a Mc burger,how healthy is that burger any person who frequents Mc will be able to show you the tiers and flab thanks to that burger.But to show a pregnant mum eating it was the limit!!!

Rithika, Strategic Planner, Bates Asia - August 13, 2007

The way I see it there is a big difference between misleading the consumer and adding the extra touch to make the ad more appealing.. let's take the ad posted above of the "rock climbing jeep" or the H3 ads where u can customise your H3 all the way to a submarine... or other ads... this is creativity... as for oil companies claiming to be the environment's best friend, such claim should be looked into because if they are not, this would definitely be misleading and deceiving.. .To rap things up, the message delivered in the ad should have a genuine intention. there is no harm to spice things up a bit as long as the average person would realise that this is purely an added effect to the ad not to the product.

Fadi Zoubian, Account Executive, tamra C2 - August 14, 2007

I believe very stongly that branding is a promise kept and delivered.Branding is about delivering a bundle of promise again and again.

Hence, the moment there is a disconnect between promises made by a brand either via advertising, word of mouth , news releases, brochures or whatever means; and the actual experience by the consumer on using the product then there is a big problem.

My approach is that brands should not use flowery words , hyperbole or other expressions that are not in sync with what the prodcuts can deliver. Why?
Consumers are becoming increasingly discerning everyday and it is very difficult winning back a lost brand loyalist or consumer .

Moreover ,the price to be paid from Cognitive Dissonance ( when consumers expectations are not met on making a buying decision and they seek redress via switching or other means) is too huge for companies not to be honest.

Branding is all about building lasting relationships for which trust is an integral part

Olaolu Ayeni, Manager, Strategy - August 14, 2007

"If not, why are the makers allowed to infer that it did?"The makers didn't infer that it did, they imply that it did.Advertising geared toward adults takes for granted a certain level of intelligence and discrimination in their audience and they should be comfortable giving people the benefit of the doubt. Therefore a certain allowance needs to be made for hyperbole--the problem lies with outright lies presented by companies, or in today's world, the government. The companies selling worthless diet pills using surgically altered spokemodels should be held accountable ;not the people responsible for the obviously exaggerated SUV ad.

anonymous - August 16, 2007

Ah...a pretty good story but with an annoying misuse of significant word starting in the first graph. The proper word is IMPLY not INFER. You, the presenter, imply by what you say. I, your audience, infer from what you say.

Other questions you might ask about advertising ethics are: 1) Why do most auto mfgs insist on showing their cars driven too fast and recklessly in their commercials; 2) Why do chain restuarant organizations increasingly boost higher fat foods in larger portions when the nation's biggest health threats are obesity, heart disease and diabetes?

Jim Nugent, Public Relations/Marketing Consutlant, Nugent Communications - August 20, 2007

Lets face it - we live in a world of PS3, Diehard.4 or Bourne-Ultimatum. Everything is fanciful and exchaggerated.

General public knows that advertising is fantasizing minimal realities. When did the acne dissappear in days? Clear or Clearisil - its implied exhaggeration and inferred realism.

Zakir Ahmed, General Manager (Clim Tech), Nia Limited - August 20, 2007

I think we have to tread lightly when assuming the general public knows the difference between fact and fiction. Increasingly, class rooms in the west do not showcase media literacy or communication studies: they have television sets screening ads right after national anthems. There are entire generations growing up without knowing better.

Michele Champagne, Designer, Interbrand - August 20, 2007

I often think that marketers assume in many instances that consumers are "marketing savvy". Too often there is an assumption that the consumer is sophisticated and intimate with marketing tools and jargon, we need to soeak to consumers in their own language, be less ambiguous by just presenting the facts and nothing but. It is brand suicide to overpromise and underdeliver. Do not stretch the brand's capabilities when you know it aint so. This only serves to erode value on all fronts, espcecially the highly sought after holy graille of marketing... customer lifetime value.

Raquel Williams, Brand Manager - August 22, 2007

i believe advertising [commercial] is like a film and like in the films where we actually expect some exaggeration, we also expect some exaggeration in the ad-films too... for without that the whole story would have seemed so plain and simple ! ... and maybe the message would have never reached the consumer's mind. So it's good as long it's fun but lying [or hiding and misinterpreting the truth] is bad indeed.

Rohan, communications design strategist, India - August 22, 2007

I suppose the answer to that question ultimately lies in the perception of integrity a specific brands carries. Does an oil company who consistenty reports record quarterly revenues with some of the highest prices at the pump have the credibility to talk about environmental concerns and corporate citizenship? Likewise, do we really believe the reasonably intelligent consumer believes sugary cereals are remotely part of a well balanced breakfast? Do we expect the average consumer to believe a new Oxy-branded cleaning product will remove every imaginable stain from any surface or material? Worse yet, have we, the industry professionals, created this dilemma ourselves? Has the exaggeration of features and self-serving rhetoric somehow become easier to produce than quality creative supported by well-constructed positioning?

Todd, VP, Creative/Brand Services - August 23, 2007

Sooner or later it's going to happen. Just like with cigarettes and the surgeon general's message, fast food (or just about any food product) will one day be required to state the nutritional content (or lack thereof), and calories (etc.) in all advertising. That's going to be a plus for some companies but can you image what that would do to the others? Big Mac: 540 calories. Quizno's Calssic Sub: 990 calories. And so on. It's just a matter of time before health conscious Americans push in the right direction. Maybe a company will voluntariy advertise the food facts (not just on a hidden website link) and get the jump on the competition.

Philip Butta, Director, Brand and Corporate Identity, AT - August 25, 2007

Hyperbole or truth, the consumer always seeks a promise and buys into it...the onus lies on the brand/company to choose between under-promising and over delivering OR over promising and under delivering. The strength and credibility of the promise will be decided in the free market.

Advertising is purely a creative rendition of the proposition, it would be highly unfair to blame the ad agency for misleading the consumer.

Akshay Mathur, qualitative researcher, QMRPL - August 26, 2007

Quite contrary to popular belief marketers today striving more to create differentiation through CSR initiatives and the likes of it.Examples are ITC/Hindustan Unilever etc. And also the impact of contribution of those few corporates in changing the life of people at the BOP is immense.

Now the question is about Advertising.Why should government be allowed to regulate promotions which bends the truth.Advertising is all about bending the truth(paid medium of promotion is all abouth that)to some extent to engage the viewer.That makes sense as long as we dont follow them.

I dont think that marketers are stretching too far to communicate the truth.After all advertising is all about telling a story.Advertisers should be free to tell the story the way consumer wants it.Advertising should be action/emotion oriented just like a bollywood movie...such that viewers will be entertained in a 30 sec TVC.

I think we should keep government/regulators away from the business of advertising.

Pratap Kumar Pattanayak, Brand Manager, Eastman Global - August 27, 2007

Stretching the truth is what gives a brand character...or at least a part of its character. I don't think there needs to be government intervention in this day in age when we have bloggers to the rescue! Plus- I'd rather have my hard earned tax money go somewhere more useful. Maybe there should be a quota to how many deaths has been associated due to your brand and then it should be considered lying.

Henri Duong, Founder - August 27, 2007

Like everything wonderful about branding, the answer to this is completely situational. A chewing gum needs almost no authentication at all. An SUV, one would suppose, needs quite a lot. What's most interesting about all this, though, is the public's steadily growing tolerance for this 'disingenousness'. I look at what Jeep, for example, is getting away with, and I wonder if we're headed for a day when a logo is all the authenticating anyone will need.

Bruce Philp, Chairman - August 27, 2007

Branding represents the highest ideal for a product, and all its potential is what gets poured into the total brand concept; Marketers are dreamers and their belief that the product can reach out to connect with the consumers desire for "potential" of their own is what gives birth to a company and a product. Lest we forget...everyone wants and needs to make a buck on a dream...whether the product lives up to its potential or not is in the hands of the consumer. Dreams aside, consumers need to be realists more than ever!

Andrea CinqMars, Graphic Designer, Owner, Growing Edge Graphics - August 27, 2007

Excuse me: Branding or Advertising?

* Advertising: is not just a presentation of the benefit anymore - but MAINLY its character, esp nowadays, in a commoditized market.
SUV on a mountain top is just a photo! And presents the challenging brand character.
Only a fool would take it as a benefit.

Too much truth/reality kills advertising.
And too many marketers confuse "advertising" with "user's manual".

* Branding: positioning, values, beliefs, mission, vision, sensory branding devices etc.
If they are not in sync with the true purpose of the company - that's disingenuous. And LEADS to disingenuous advertising. And that's bad.

Jacek Studzinski, Communication Planning Director, Stratejitsu - August 28, 2007

Regulatory legislation is already in place in most developed countries for products whose dangers or implications could have serious consequences for the purchaser: tobacco or investment products are an obvious example. Advertisers in less regulated industries who exagerrate product benefits have to pay penalties too, in lost customer trust and goodwill. Good advertising, as someone once said, is "The truth well told".

Peter Vierod, Creative Partner, friend Group, Australia - August 29, 2007

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