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Honesty is the best policy

In marketing, people often say what they would like to be the truth rather than what it is. It always catches up with them.

It reminds me of something I read in a New York Times obituary in 1984. "Honesty is not only the best policy. It is rare enough nowadays to make you pleasantly conspicuous."

This is not only funny; it is very good advice and came from Charles H. Brower. He was chairman of the advertising agency BBD & O — Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn — a name the great W. C. Fields said sounded like a man dragging a heavy trunk down a flight of stairs.

When he took over, the agency was in a mess, and he was the architect of its renewal. Today it is one of the world's three biggest advertising agencies.

 Sometimes telling the truth can get you out of a tricky situation. For example years ago I was writing copy for a slimming product when the law changed, and you had to say in your ads that such products had to be used in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet.

My client was very worried. Now losing weight didn't sound nearly as simple and easy.

I just revised the ads, putting at the start the following:

"Doctors agree: you can't lose weight without having a calorie-controlled diet."

I believe the ads did just as well or better, because most people don't believe in miracles — and the mention of doctors did no harm.

The principle of accepting and even capitalising on your short-comings is well worth considering. Here's another -—something we wrote for a client about a year ago.

"To be honest, you may find a slightly lower interest rate if you hunt around. That's because the loan industry is in a price war. But will there be a guarantee it will never go up? 6.8%APR is one of the lowest rates around (in fact we are committed to being amongst the very best value providers for every product we offer)."

There are plenty of examples where people don't tell the truth in their marketing. What's more, finding a claim that is true and differentiates you is not easy.

But Waitrose - Quality food, honestly priced — may not seem creative but it is good. 

As is Never knowingly undersold — John Lewis

Drayton Bird is a renowned direct marketing teacher, speaker and author. Find out more about him on his profile.