Ethical Marketing … or Puffery? | The Ethical Edit
Ever had the impression of being cheated while watching a TV ad? Some sort of cheap promotional shots stating that this particular product or service is one of the most incredible in the world? Well… we all are constantly exposed to so-called puffery … in selling… in advertising… in marketing… the state of over-praising of benefits of particular products or services…. Is it worth-while believing or not?
PufferyPuffery, according to Cambridge Dictionary, the term usually appears in American linguistic reality and refers to exaggerated acts of praising|
Puffery can be perceived as a marketing lingua used for products descriptions as well as in campaigning and advertising | Puffery,Puffery, according to Preston (1996, 1998) makes positive statements in advertising and sales about products that may or may not be true |
What puffery represents in sales & marketing and consumers & brands’ worlds?
From consumers’ perspectives… we are those who decide… having an enormous amount of choices when it comes to brands and overwhelming amounts of products and services created and launched to marketplaces … the common sense and personal preferences are usually the guideposts for making decisions.
The more reliable and clearer messages brands create… the more simplified decisions consumers make … simplicity appears to be once again undoubtfully the ultimate key for engagement between brands and consumers.
Spenner and Freeman {Harvard Business Review, 2012}Harvard Business Review, 2012} claim that “simply, simplicity”“simply, simplicity” is what consumers desire to see from brands… this approach applies also to sales processes… either direct or indirect ones … effortless, uncomplicated, lacking silly promises and straight kind of talking between brands and consumers is the right approach when it comes to creating a long-term, valuable and feasible engagement |
From the brands’ perspective … a tight connection between consumers and companies ensures that continual corporate symbiosis will bring success and result with viable and continuous accomplishments… therefore, the more work is being put into creating trust, credibility and reliability though not necessarily the most commonly selected ways such as growing amounts of social media messages or promotional offering emails but on the contrary consciously creating socially-responsible campaigns … the more successful paths to long-term connectivity between brands and consumers |
What does actually puffery mean in marketing and can it exist?
Well … first and foremost, step #1 is to clearly define ethicsethics:
- a set of moral principles
- a guiding philosophy
- a consciousness of moral principles
- a set of moral aspects of behaviour, speech, aspects
Next, step #2 is to define what puffery in marketing means?
Simply put, puffery is vague messaging in such forms as “the best” “a better than”, “the world’s best”, “the most impressive”, One of the most cited examples is the positioning slogan “Red Bull gives you wingsRed Bull gives you wings” … is there actually any scientific evidence that supports this statement? Not … it is just an advertisement … that instantly brings an image of a drink and a pair of wings to consumers’ minds |
Puffery in marketing… useful or destructive?
No straight direct answer … if well-constructed and well-thought of … puffery approaches can bring immediate results but if cheaply designed and not included in a long-term engagement strategy planning it can only damage an overall image, making a bad reputation mark on a brand’s face….
As consumers do not want to be cheated on or exposed to fake promises on products … not having much time for searching for scientific research papers confirming the reliability of claims associated with particular items but only … longing for reliability … and simplicity in the decision-making processes in consumers world …. shall direct the way how brands could possibly use puffery in marketing |
It is all about the overall acceptance … founded on the concept of caveat emptor, “letting the buyer beware”, meaning that simply allowing consumers to decide what is the best choice taking the overall responsibility for purchasing as brands have the right to “the seller‟s privilege to lie” {Greenberg, 2003Greenberg, 2003}|
Puffery marketing matters …
As brands … one of the most important keys to successful engagement with consumers is the clearer the better positioning statement … ethical marketing practices … CSR initiatives and sustainable marketing practices |
For customised long-term brand positioning strategy and brand valuation … get in touch {an invitean invite} |
Recommendations for Further Reads |
1| Prof. P. Haan & J. BravinderProf. P. Haan & J. Bravinder “What Would Jesus Say – About Puffery?”
2| M.A.Kamins & L.J. Marks2| M.A.Kamins & L.J. Marks “Advertising Puffery: The Impact of Using Two-Sided Claims on Products Attitude and Purchase Intention”
3| R.Colaizzi, C.Crook, C. Wheeler, T. SachsR.Colaizzi, C.Crook, C. Wheeler, T. Sachs ” The best explanaition and update on puffery you will ever read”
