As regular readers will know, I’m an advocate of truth and authenticity in our relationship with customers. However, I do think that the poor product marketers responsible for Quaker Instant Oatmeal have had to carry this a little too far – something you never thought you would hear me say!
Take a look at this:
“Artificial Fruit & Cream Flavors” plus “AND OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS”.
It struck me how different the two – at first glance – similar product packages were and I wondered if this was legal advice at work, or whether someone in the product department was being overzealous. As I said, I’m in favor of truth and authenticity in marketing and in product information, but I would hope for a little more creativity in presenting accurate information. As I pondered a little more, I started to think that maybe the two packages were so in order to try out different packaging.
But that’s a risky way to do it, live in the field. I always advocate quick and cheap ways to test ideas – like asking directly.
So what’s the lesson? Be truthful, but be creative. If you want to test ideas, ask customers directly.