The Lesson

We are living in a "post-factual" society, where half-truths and even outright lying is largely acceptable behavior. The consequences for dishonesty are rarely significant enough to serve as a bulwark against duplicity. 

Last week, in a 24-hour period I learned the following:

🤯 Two competitors in an Ohio fishing tournament were disqualified when they stuffed their catch with lead weights in an attempt to angle a $28,000 first prize.

🤯 The world's top chess player refuses to play against a young upstart who has admitted to cheating in the past, and may have continued to do so using vibrating beads inserted into himself. 

🤯 Judges on the international Irish dance circuit have been rigging competitions, in some cases bartering romantic behaviors for high scores for favored dance students.

Has the hustle culture and win at all costs psychology metastasized so much that ne'er do wells will outwardly cheat at leisure sports? Evidently, yes.

It's kind of disheartening, really.

But, it's also an opportunity. And one you should seize. Because a decline in loyalty has accompanied a rise in mistrust. 

In fact, McKinsey says that since the pandemic, 75% of consumers have made purchases from businesses they've never supported before. Customers in every category are willing to shift their spending from business to business, hopping back and forth like a five year-old child seeking an overdue restroom.

How do you seize a disproportionate share of wallet from consumers who don't respond to brands (and branding) like they did just a few years ago?

Maybe, by giving them an entirely different brand characteristic to consider. 

Perhaps it's time to lead with honesty, and forthrightness, and accountability using those increasingly rare qualities as a competitive differentiator?

A favorite, modern example of honesty in marketing is the private bank, Hyposwiss, who run a series of straight-truth print ads that certainly run counter to the typical banking puffery. 

Arresting, isn't it? 

Of course, radical honesty in marketing isn't for everyone because, you know, it's pretty important to actually BE honest if you adopt that approach. 

And if the marketing department is going to adopt honesty as a core brand characteristic, the operations of the business must support that premise over and over and over again. 

If you say "quality is job 1" and quality is in fact job nine, the whole idea becomes farcical.

But it can, and does, work. The notion of radical honesty in marketing has been around nearly forever. In fact, my OWN FAMILY starting using it nearly a century ago.

The Baers owned a furniture store in York, Nebraska from the 1870s until the 1990s. For many of those decades, competitors often sold less expensive but lower-quality furniture. 

Some would even make furniture from cheap, lightweight wood and then fill it with LEAD WEIGHTS to make it heavier, and seem sturdier. Those fishing cheaters used a very old playbook! 

Baer's Furniture refused to play that game, and only made and sold authentic furnishings. How to make this difference clear to the public?

In the 1930s, my great grandfather came up with a new slogan for the business, one that lasted for 50+ years:

"When Baer's Says It's Oak - It's Oak."

What can you do to codify and emphasize YOUR commitment to truth? 

How can you use honesty in your marketing to create contrast with competitors, without having to call them out by name? 

I'd love your ideas and examples. If you have something you've done, or you've seen some interesting honesty in marketing approaches, please reply to this email. 

Best answers win tequila! Thanks as always.

The Books Report

When the first edition of Ann Handley's book - Everybody Writes was published, I proclaimed it one of the top two books on writing ever created.

Somehow, in this mostly-new, second edition, she topped it. 

If you write anything: memos, letters, blog posts, presentations, hostage notes....you'll love this book. 

Super funny, as well! 

Jay's Faves

(NOTE: someone asked me the other day if I make money if you buy my Jay's Faves. No! I just pass along what I like as a service to The Baer Facts community)

Noise-cancelling is a must for me on planes, and I prefer earbuds to larger headphone styles. 

I've tried just about every model there is, and I recommend the Jabra 85t. Sound great, with a comfortable, secure fit in-ear. A bit less pricey than Airpod Pros, too.

And, if you can find the beige color, they're nearly invisible when on video calls. (note: these do not connect to Macs very well, but are great with iPhones).

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