There was a time when marketing meant flashy appearances and clever slogans. “For the lowest prices and best service, guaranteed!” – The problem with this statement is that nobody is stupid enough to actually believe it.  Shameless self-promotion is the starting point to a downward spiral in the current era of marketing.  Flashy visages often lead to customer disappointment. Too many organisations are accustomed to creating expectations through marketing that they cannot fulfill in practice.



While unfulfilled expectations disappoint customers, honesty is what reassures them. To be a truthful and transparent business means that the good and the bad is brought to light, i.e. to be honest about your capabilities and welcoming constructive criticism. A business cannot grow if unhappy customers are swept in under the carpet. First of all, unhappy customers do not go away when ignored, they just become more and more unhappy. Secondly, no consequence means no future prevention strategy – and ultimately, no growth for the business.

Our favourite example of a transparent business

Consider Amazon.com. Amazon is a great example of a highly successful and completely transparent enterprise. Ratings and reviews are welcomed for every product on sale. Both positive and negative ratings, reviews and comments get published. Consumers return to the site to read those reviews before purchasing, because the transparency factor has won their trust.

Two big problems with the “up talk” marketing approach

1. Aggressive, excessive and shameless self-promotion is received as cliché, untruthful and even suspicious. The public audience could use valuable information rather than catch phrases. Marketing in the current era no longer relies on the consumer to be swept off their feet by glamorous billboards and pretty web banners. Consumers are won through providing them with valuable information.
2. When it cannot be delivered, it shouldn’t be sold. Your marketing sets the consumer’s expectations of you. Once you have created an expectation, you cannot afford to deliver anything less. Issues of promise arise when you cannot consistently provide that which was advertised.

Case Study: Online review sanitizing

The following case study was the true experience of Francois in December of 2012.

On holiday in the Eastern Cape, Francois had made a booking at a lodge through a popular holiday accommodation website. On this website, the lodge was promoted as “luxury accommodation” and “the perfect getaway.” This is not what Francois experienced.
They state that “All rooms are fully air-conditioned and offers limited DSTV channels.” On the contrary, Francois explained that the television in the room was not working at all. The restaurant, advertised as having “Culinary delights”, in reality proved to be of poor standard and half of the items on the menu were “out of stock”. The spa, promoted to “relax and rejuvenate body and spirit”, has been out of service for over a year.

The photo of the lodge on the accommodation website is an inaccurate representation of the lodge. Francois explained, “The grass stood tall with weeds, the paint was chipping from the walls, tea coloured water poured from the bathroom taps… the list carries on and on.”
According to Francois, the Eastern Cape is a beautiful province, but the lodge under discussion is on a path of decay and neglect.

The website operators sent Francois an email asking him to rate and write a review of the lodge for the purpose of the website. Francois did so, communicating his bad experience in the hope that the lodge would address these issues. An automated mail was returned stating that the review had been received and that it will be published soon. Three weeks later and the review composed by Francois is nowhere to be seen. An email was then sent to the operators stating that the review had not been published. What was the problem? How could they ignore an honest customer review?

They soon replied, promising that the review would be published. Three days later; still no review.  Francois realized that this popular and seemingly trustworthy website sanitizes their reviews.

The above mentioned follows a disconcerting pattern:

1. An expectation was created via advertising, the expectation failed to be met – dismally!
2. The business receives no consequence for delivering an unpleasant experience and no improvement takes place.
3. No space is provided for this problem to be voiced and website reviews are sanitized.
4. The result: Future visitors experience the same disappointment.

Four points to note when transparency is the goal

1. There should always be a function allowing customers to send enquiries regarding offers. Responding to such enquiries, whether your answer is positive or negative, makes the consumer feel acknowledged and respected. Ignoring enquiries because you cannot provide a positive answer or solution is poor to say the least.
2. As mentioned above, consumers should be provided with valuable and useful information. Provide downloadable catalogues, eBooks, and brochures. Mail relevant information if they enquire about something specific.
3. Allow customers to comment on your website and blog articles. Provide space for comments on your on social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. In the age of social media, every person is a publisher. Consumers trust that social media platforms are provided for them to voice their experiences. However, these platforms are nothing less than a scam if only the positive gets published. When all comments, all ratings and all reviews are being published, your company has reached the status of transparency.
4. There will always be that hand full of unhappy customers – instead of ignoring them and sending their remarks to the recycle bin, they should be dealt with openly, honestly and strategically. If, for example, a complaint is posted on your Facebook page, you should respond as soon as a possible, and publicly. Explain the situation without excusing it. Don’t be defensive, and apologise if necessary. Most importantly: Provide a solution!

When it comes to customer reviews, the good and the bad reviews will surface. If your service is up to standard, you have little to worry about and good reviews will come strolling in, provided that they are welcomed, of course. Bad review should be dealt with while criticism should be received as light shed on those spaces in need of improvement.


Carla van Straten is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital. Sound Idea is a full service digital marketing agency.
| Carla@soundidea.co.za | www.soundidea.co.za |