The Truth. Take our word.

I feel a series of rants coming on.  Well, at least one.  Luckily, I'm kinda tired, so maybe it won't be a long one.  No promises, though.

The web and other digital technologies have opened up a gazillion new ways to reach out to people, try to connect, and try to convince them that what you have to say about your brand is the truth.  The other thing that the web has done is to unlock the gates to a whole spectrum of knowledge -- so anyone can find out just about anything about just about everything, if they are so inclined.  And that's the key part of that phrase:  If they are so inclined. Because most people aren't.

And that's sad.  The truth is, I've always been a little bothered by people who are perfectly capable of investigating on their own, yet choose to take someone else's word.  I'm bothered when people don't explore both sides of an issue.  Weird, huh, for someone in advertising to feel that way, since that's the goal of most advertising -- take our word for it, our product is good.  Even so, I want people to learn and explore, and find out on their own that, in fact, the product is good.  Or bad.  Or whatever it is they're going to find out.  Which is why I like working in digital.  Because online, you can't hide the truth.  (Of course I know that online spills to offline, etc, and more properly phrased, it's:  Because OF online, you can't hide the truth.)  The key is separating truth from fiction.  But that's another post.  This is about doing your homework, instead of taking someone's word.

I can't remember whether it was in Manhattan, or Annie Hall or another of his films, but there was a great scene with Woody Allen where he's waiting in line for a film, listening to some blow-hard in front of him trash the director of the film they're all waiting to see.  The blow-hard is trying to impress his date, and he's going on and on about how the director failed to achieve the specific effect he was going for, blah, blah, blah....  Allen breaks down the fourth wall, and talks to camera, saying -- "Don't you just hate that?  Don't you hate when you know some guy like this has no idea what he's talking about, but you don't have the means to put him in his place?"  Allen then miraculously produces the director of the film, who addresses the blow-hard, and tells him, in front of his date, that he's an idiot.

I had a moment like that this evening in the grocery store.  I'm walking by the juice aisle, and some blow-hard, trying to impress his date/wife/girlfriend with his knowledge of orange juice (why that would impress her, I have no clue -- and being the son of a citrus grower, if anyone should have a clue, it should be me, but anyway...)  was ranting.  He was going on and on about how he once worked in a grocery store, and some crackpot was complaining that all the juice on the shelves contained Brazilian juice.  The crackpot wanted juice from American oranges.  The blow-hard thought the crackpot was crazy.  But I can tell you, the crackpot was right.

Short and sweet -- Brazilian imports increased tremendously in the 80s.  California doesn't grow much fruit for juice -- so it's not a factor here. If your orange juice doesn't say "Pure Florida Orange Juice"  on the carton, there is Brazilian content.  There may also be, and probably will be, Florida content, but most of the juice will be from Brazil.  The juice companies (Minute Maid, Tropicana) won't tell you that (with the exception of Florida's Natural, which markets on that very premise), and the Florida Citrus Commission won't tell you that, because key board members of the Commission come from big juice companies who import.  All of the companies make a sku that is labeled "Pure Florida"  but if you're not drinking that, you're drinking Brazilian juice.

Now, what does it matter to the blow hard?  Nothing.  What does it matter to me?  More, since my dad owns Mosteller Groves, and has an interest in the amount of Florida orange juice you drink.  But honestly, what matters more to me at this very moment is the disdain the blow-hard had for the crackpot, when it was the blow-hard who was completely wrong. 

Ok, so where's he going with this?  Here: It's not just me and Woody Allen anymore.  The web means access to information, true and untrue, about everything.  If people are so inclined, they can find out anything about anything.  And, for the most part, as I've said, they'e not all that inclined -- when you look at "people" as a group.  But it doesn't take the whole group.  It just takes one or two influentials, and the truth spreads.  And because of the web, it spreads quickly.  In short, your customers don't have to take your word for anything.  They can, and will, either (A) take someone else's word; or (B) find out for themselves.

If I'm creating advertising (and I am,) that says two things to me.  One, the product better be able to live up to the truth.  And two, my advertising better contain it.  You don't want to do it any other way.  Take my word on that.

BTW, if you're at all intrigued about the juice or fruit you buy, here's a Squidoo lens I built, and well, basically left to sit, a long, long time ago.  Built during their beta, but still pretty relevant.

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Comments

[Rick King]

plugged your dad's grove in there. you're like Paul Harvey, tell us a captivating story that's really sellin' us a good. nice work. Paul.