HYPE without substance - how I hate it!

OK, time for a bit of a rant and a lesson for all of us... As many of you know - my hubby has been managing a campground this summer, while I play catch up with Roaring Women. I have been blessed with gorgeous mountains and fresh air. But I got a bit cranked earlier in the week. We have always prided ourselves in being 'green' - or as green as we can. We are careful of our water, electricity and gas use. And we have been told over and over again by the media and government that the planet benefits and that we also benefit financially. But I am wondering is all this a bunch of hype? I digress... back on point Mandie.... So because we have been away from home - we have not used any water except for the odd toilet flush when we return home to get the mail. We thought - wow - because we are using the shower in the RV which uses very little water, we are really adding to the green planet conservation efforts - and saving money. (we also have used less than $25 in propane for the entire summer - cooking water heat included) Well, we may be helping the planet - but the money saving thing is all a bunch of hype. After reviewing the bill last month and this month- I noted we saved $2.03 in July and $2.30 in August. Yes we saved less than $5.00 in two months for using little or no water at home. So I called the utilities department at the city. The clerk was amazed at how little water we use normally and looked at the graph that showed we used 1/10th of what we normally used in July last year. Add yes the savings was $2.03. (Over $40.00 of the bill is service charges) I thought back to all the times I take a short shower to save water and cash. Then I thought of all the times I berated the teens over the years about their water usage. Then I did a few calculations. It seems that if I run the shower for 1 minute it costs less than 1 penny in water usage. So for an extra 10 minutes in the shower every day for a month, (oh how luxurious) my bill would go up a measley $3.00. So what is my beef? Advertisers and marketers know that when you talk money, people sit up and listen. But I really am tired of being roped into a pile of hype about a benefit that does not even exist. If you promise me big savings on a water bill because I conserve - I want to see big savings. But if I do not save much - appeal to my sense of responsibility - don't try to sell me a bill of goods that do not exist. Do I want to help the planet - yes I do. I want my grandchildren to be able to shower. And I want under privileged countries to have better access to water. And so I will continue to conserve water. But come on Calgary, if you want to play on the savings because I conserve - you had better change your billing structure so that your promises can be realized! Let's put some honesty back into marketing - PLEASE!

Can you really believe in advertising?

While browsing the newspaper this morning, (which I try not to do too often for fear of starting the day discouraged) I saw the strangest ad. In the bottom left of a full two page news spread was a 2 inch square advertisement. The headlines read: "Why you can believe in advertising". The content directed me to a website - Advertising Standards Council of Canada, and also stated that this organization helps ensure the ads you see and hear are truthful. I wonder. How in the world can an organization like that oversee the millions of advertisements that run on TV, radio and in the news daily? How do they know that the content is in fact truthful and accurate? Do they really believe that this advertisement will helps us to have faith in or believe that the ads we see and hear are accurate? I hope not. Advertising as most of us know - is often loud, invasive and boring. Same old, same old sales, boxing day blowouts, white sales, inventory clear outs and 50% off days bombard us from every direction. It makes you wonder how these companies can afford to advertise AND offer 50% off. Perhaps properly marketing their goods at a reasonable price might be a better solution than a sale - or at least a start. The best advertising and marketing a company can do is to show me that they care about me as a customer. And that my friends, takes time and effort. Good marketing is not a fast buck scenario. Building trust with a potential client over a period of time reassures them - letting them know you care. Then and only then do you ask them to believe that what the see and hear is truthful and accurate. You can build trust with your potential clients by giving them good information, follow up and keep in touch with them. Building relationships with each and every one of them will put your business on solid ground. So, sorry Advertising Standards Council of Canada - your ad did not convince me. How do I really know you are ensuring that the ads I read, see and hear are truthful? Your 2 inch ad in no way showed me that you are holding advertisers to a standard. And even more ludicrous - is the idea that one agency could even begin to police such an industry. Self serving advertising like this ad went the way of the dodo bird because customers now want proof that advertising is accurate. People were tired of being ripped off and cheated. And they are showing it with their wallets. Businesses that are winning in todays market are those who continually build relationships with their customers. So the question remains: Can you really believe in advertising?