Tell the Truth ─ Honesty Is Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool

Truth is a powerful marketing tool—and really the only way to promote a message and brand effectively.

Truth in advertising has long been something to ignore, or at least downplay. The role of advertising has been to position and manipulate brands to convince consumers that they’re imbued with qualities they don’t necessarily possess, or presume to tell them which ones matter. It worked when the brand’s voice was the only voice, but with the rise of social media that era is over.

Marketers have focused their messages on entertainment, creating funny or engaging campaigns that win awards but don’t always sell products. Consumers determine what’s true, and smart companies have realized that every communications medium can and will be used to contribute to those conclusions.

In Tell the Truth, Jonathan Baskin and Sue Unerman look at the content and context of marketing communications. They provide the research of hundreds of companies and in-depth case studies on more than 50 global brands to show us that truthful brands deliver sales, profits, and sustainable relationships. Truth truly yields true competitive advantage.

Sue Unerman is Chief Strategy Officer of MediaCom. Amid the changing media landscape, she delivers a strategic edge in communications and strategic planning for clients, thereby ensuring MediaCom UK is a step ahead of the competition. Equipped with a history degree from Oxford University, Unerman has experience in planning and buying media at Benton and Bowles, DMB+B, and Geers Gross. The UK-based Campaign magazine says that Unerman is ?widely considered to be one of media’s finest strategic brains, helping to turn MediaCom into a $1billion agency.”

Jonathan Baskin, President of Baskin Associates, Inc., has worked for the last 28 years to translate branding strategy into something more than images and words for global brand names including Apple, Blockbuster, Limited, and Nissan. He has led agency and corporate teams responsible for all aspects of marketing communications and public affairs. Since 2008, Baskin has written a bi-weekly column on marketing leadership for Advertising Age, and posted twice-weekly on his award-winning blog, BaskinBrand. He is also a frequent public speaker and an often-quoted expert in news stories from sources such as USA TODAY and Reuters.