Once in a while the movie, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” plays on TV. In it, stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey each try to prove their value at work through the art of deception.
“Andie,” fulfilling her duties as the “how to” columnist for a magazine, attempts to demonstrate how to drive a man away by enacting the ten worst offenses women commit in new relationships. “Benjamin,” a top advertising executive, tries to win the rights to a coveted client by proving to his female colleagues that he knows women so well he can get one to fall in love with him in 10 days. Spoiler alert: in the end, they find love in each other.
Although it makes for a cute rom-com, the movie glamorizes a pretty dangerous strategy (deceiving your target audience is never a good idea) but welcomes an interesting question: what are some of the biggest offenses marketers commit in trying to woo or retain customers? We’ve come up with 10:
1. Making the marketing all about the company and not the customer.
2. Passing responsibility when customers have problems and not providing timely
resolutions.
3. Providing wrong or inaccurate information.
4. Not responding promptly to inquiries or questions.
5. Marketing conflicting values or images.
6. Focusing only on logical, not emotional appeals.
7. Adding surprise fees or unexplained charges.
8. Not segmenting or targeting the market.
9. Forgetting a call-to-action.
10. Making customers work too hard to find the information they need.
Honesty, transparency, and respect are the true hallmarks of any relationship—personal or business. While such characteristics may not be as entertaining, they certainly are more endearing and enduring. And that’s something worth holding on to.