Honesty is the best policy, at least according to your customers

Hello, fellow creative souls!

So much of marketing today is just figuring out that one angle which’ll make your brand stand out among the crowd and get an edge against your competition. This hullaballoo is sugar-coated and exaggerated. This has been the norm for ages now.

What if you flipped the switch, go back to 2nd grade and followed the adage - “Honesty is the best policy”?

Kosenkorva is a Vodka brand from Finland that prides itself on making ‘Honest Vodka’, and they nail this messaging in the ad above. You see the quaint and humble town, with it’s people, with it’s tractors and fields, and they acknowledge that there’s nothing spectacular about it - except, they make a damn good vodka. Now, I’ve never tried their brand. But after this ad, I’m inclined to.

In the age of social media and peer-to-peer recommendations, consumers are able to see through a lot of the brand’s over-the-top claims. A scroll down Google or Amazon will give you hundreds of reviews that are capable of refuting the claims you’re making in your ads.

With so much going on, honesty really just might be the best policy. Why?

Human nature. You’re letting your customers know up front what to expect, and what not to. Self-awareness is a virtue and in the modern day, it’s a virtue that sells.

Here’s an outlier print ad from the 80s that we love:

Pretty much like the Vodka ad above, this ad cuts through the BS and gets to the point. We all know cough syrup doesn’t taste good. We’ve all seen the cough syrup ads take the route of humor or medical mumbo jumbo - but none of them address the pain point— the taste makes you want to cry.

The 3 points to really deliver an ad like this is:

• Radical Transparency

• Humble Accountability

• Credible Positivity

Openly acknowledge your shortcomings and set expectations with your customers. This candid approach not only disarms consumers who expect typical boastful advertising but also enhances your credibility when you highlight your strengths.

If you do it sincerely enough, BAAMMM, you have a refreshing campaign that will stand out.

Ideas corner:

• A ride-sharing app that acknowledges that sometimes, users don’t get rides or they’re delayed— “Sorry about that time. We promise we’ll do better. And unlike your ex, we’ll actually follow through on it.”

• A bluetooth earphone brand that talks about their devices losing charge at odd times - “Yes, all batteries run out. But hey, the sounds of the world are music too!”

• A liquor brand that’s just honest with their TV advertising - “Hey, we all know what this ad is for. But look at the other line of product that’s so outside our industry but still carries our branding!”

BBH in a famous campaign for Levis wrote the legenday advertising tenet of "When the world zigs, zag", meaning go against the grain (written by Barbara Noakes). When advertising is all about exaggerated claims and over-the-top promises the prudent thing to do is to be completely honest about your brand, products, and even your industry and its consumers, openly acknowledging any imperfections, mistakes, and unmet promises.

Thanks for reading till the end. Want one more wacky honest absurd japanese obscure ad? here you go - Link

Figment is written by Abbhinav Kastura, a writer/producer who has spent a decade making impactful internet videos and Guru Nicketan, an advertising nerd, B2B Marketer, stand-up comedian, and a film buff.