"Truth" Is The New Lie - Or Is It?

In an episode from season two of the Canadian television hit show Slings & Arrows, Sanjay Ramey (the chief of fictional advertising agency Frog Hammer) tells a prospective client, Richard, the following:

What makes Sanjay's sales pitch so ironic is that it’s the truth. Richard is the business manager of the financially troubled New Burbage Theater Festival, and he has a real business problem: his customers are old and dying and he needs to reach out to a younger audience before his business goes bust.

Inspiring and enigmatic, Sanjay convinces Richard to turn his back on convention and mount a brutally honest rebranding effort. Listening to Sanjay, Richard comes to the realization that consumers no longer buy hype, and are bored stiff by features and benefits. Honesty, authenticity, relevance and emotional appeal are the ways to attract the modern consumer.

When did telling the truth become the right thing to do?

Sanjay allows his new agency, Frog Hammer, to replace the expected high brow Shakespearian sales pitch with a multi-media advertising campaign that tells it like it really is:

“Macbeth was an ass.”

The result? A youthquake: the season quickly sells out to young audiences and Canada’s power and influence wielding Minister of Culture, who reluctantly financed Frog Hammer’s rebranding of the theater, had to sneak in because she couldn’t get a ticket.

A few years ago, Seth Godin wrote a book titled, “All Marketers Are Liars.” His point? Marketers are storytellers, and over the years their stories have become unbelievable, very predictable and no longer relevant.

How many times have you heard the vapid pitches “we care about you,” “personal service,” “ours is better,” “lowest prices,” or “100% guaranteed?” How many times have marketers claimed that their brand is “sportier,” “sexier,” “pure,” “natural,” “great tasting,” or “good for you?”

In the old days, marketers could use hype and exaggeration to get noticed and people would simply accept it. Not so anymore. Today, if you want consumers to pay attention, you better had be truthful. And if you want them to fondly remember your brand, you'd better be emotional.