This. Is. Brilliant. Every time someone does a piece like this, I find myself grinning ear to ear.
First, some attribution: The piece, published by www.boredpanda.com is tagged as a guest post by Dario D., who first published his images on his own site www.alphaila.com. I recommend that you check them both out for the full feature. Well worth a few minutes of your time.
The premise (from Dario):
So, I went to some fast food places (I won’t say “restaurants”, just “places”), and picked up burgers/tacos, so I could compare them with the ads.
I brought the “food” home (different stuff over 3 nights), tossed it into my photography studio, and did some ad-style shoots (with pictures of the official ads on my computer next to me, so I could match the lighting/angles/etc).
The result, of course is a set of gems (go see them all) that includes this other killer side by side dose of reality:
Dario goes on:
Don’t ask me how this advertising is legal. […] I happily pitch the idea that lawmakers are committing a crime against us people by allowing us to be continually insulted by this advertising […] in defiance of human perception.
He has a point. The pictures don’t lie.
Compare this kind of advertising to anything else: Cars, candy, clothing, drinks, watches, laptops, tennis rackets, video games, etc.. Most products, when depicted in photographs used for marketing purposes are pretty close to what you can expect to get. In this particular industry, however, not so much.
Remember the scene from the movie “Falling Down,” back in the post Reagan 1990’s, in which Michael Douglas’ character (as mentally imbalanced as he may be) throws a fit over this very affront to human intelligence. Fast-forward to 04:06, towards the end of the clip to see what happens. Take a look:
If you have time, watch the whole scene from the beginning. It’s a classic.
The lesson here isn’t that false advertising exists, or that fast food companies are sometimes unethical with their marketing. The lesson is this: Promises matter. The degree to which customers’ expectations are met is the currency by which a brand’s worth is measured. In the era of social media, global word-of-mouth, and in markets where the abundance of choices can send yesterday’s market leaders careening into a pit of obsolescence, the foundations upon which you build your brand’s future cannot be based on institutionalized broken promises. Breeding cynicism about your products is just not good policy.
Now apply this thinking to your business. Put your marketing through the same test. Does it pass muster, or like these images above, is there a gap between promise and delivery?
Now ask yourself this: Which do you believe is the better choice to build a sustainable brand: Disappointing customers, or delighting them?
PS: Social Media “gurus,” consultants and “certifying bodies,” take a long hard look at what you are selling, and how you are selling it.
Cheers,
Olivier
Additional resources: This post’s grandaddy (click here).
Even the ad photos look disgusting to me! Fast food commercials don’t work very well on me…
Oh, come on. They may not look how they look, but they look like they taste, right?
Great project! Sounds like it could be its own site – nothing but pics of ads vs. reality.
I know we could gain a lot by looking at our own business and our own products/services in the way you suggest.
Thanks!
Here’s another one:
Oliver,
I absolutely love this post. Kudos to Dario D.
Nowadays we all expect our food to come out far less impressive than how we see it in advertising. Why, as consumers, do we accept that? Why is it okay to vastly underwhelm?
That’s why I commend Dominos in their effort to turn the consumers into their photographers, taking pictures of their pizzas when they get them (can be seen on their home page). It’s an interesting way to shed light on the seemingly shady tactics of most advertisers.
This doesn’t apply to just fast food either. It seems that every company is the “leading widget manufacturer.” It’s in the details where you will separate yourselves from the competition. It’s about caring, and exceeding expectations.
Underwhelming is not a sustainable business plan.
Jon Thomas
Story Worldwide
http://www.postadvertising.com
Great point bringing up Dominos! You’re absolutely right. Thank you. 🙂
Well, indeed, the pictures don’t lie.
The fact that you can do it with products is invaluable, precious and potentially lethal for those companies who break the promises.
We need to find a way to expose those service companies that sell intangible goods and still break their promises; the evidence is not so easily snapped.
this is great example…
thanks!
PS: you managed to write this piece on top of your book…you are a real superman
I’ve stopped using my keyboard altogether. The USB plugs directly into my lizard brain now.
LOL.. Where can I buy an adapter for the Lizard Brain.. LOL
I agree he is something else. I guess I think it was his military training in France.
I should have gone to France instead of serving for the U.S. Army… LOL
Ha. Great post. The photos are priceless.
Also, nice stache, oOo.
Smartass. 😀
At first I thought maybe you drew it on there to be funny. Then I realized, no, you are just mocking the less beautiful among us.
TheBrandBuilder: See? I am so handsome that I can wear what on anyone else would have to pass for aan ironic mustache.
The unwashed masses: Zut alors! Foiled again.
“See? I am so handsome that I can wear what on anyone else would have to pass for aan ironic mustache.”
LMAO!!!! Priceless.
This post really made me think on how many times I do fall for deceptive advertising as many of us do.
Even before I was vegetarian I would buy a few of those items without hesitating.
On my side I thought that when eating a Fast Food was the only choice they came out that way because I make the fast food modify my options to be meat-less.
I thought that the people that where eating the meat got the nice options. Just kidding.
I guess people are so blinded by fast food advertising not only they forget what they are putting into there bodies. They also forget what was offered to them in the first place.
Follow me learn Chinese Kung Fu
Real Northern Shaolin kung fu
Download link:
http://hotfile.com/dl/65658971/970461a/1.flv.html
Super post Olivier!!
Lovin the metaphor, the comparisons and your narrative.
PS: As they say in the London Underground, “Mind the gap” 😉 Hmmm, now what examples do we have where reality exceeds the advertisement? Swimming with humpback whales for one 😉
You know… Now that I’ve given this more thought, lots of ads portray utopic situations and impossibly perfect customer service scenarios.
In the US, prescription drug commercials are notoriously over the top with their use of “leisure” imagery: Deliriously happy couples running on the beach together in slow motion, or watching spectacular sunsets in side-by-side bathtubs mysteriously propped in the middle of a perfectly groomed field… in the middle of nowhere… with no plumbing… or place to park their car.
Judging by a lot of advertising, you would think that doing business with most companies is as pleasant and rewarding as being given a free iPad every time you walk up to a counter, call the toll free number, book a flight or check into a hotel.
It’s more subtle, but the gap is there as well.
Great post Olivier. Its the simple stuff we need to check on every day as it is easy for it to pass under the radar unnoticed. Love your point about “Promises Matter.” Thats a blog post on its own. If the future of marketing is about building strong and intimate relationships with customers, then promises are critical as they embed trust in the connection you have with people.
I know thats an blinding flash of the obvious but hey! Thanks reminding me of the video too!
Visiting for the first time, hope can get an introductory speech and could continue.
Warmest regards always.
wow! thats a great posts.
I saw this post about fast food ad vs. reality and thought that
you might be interested in joining the revolution against marketing
lies. We are launching the mobile app I Got Duped in about 2 weeks for
the sole purpose of giving a voice to the consumers when they feel
like they have been duped by advertisers. The first version is built
specifically for restaurants and we intend to go after other types of
business in future, such as lodging, packaged products, and more.
You can see the feed from our months of intense testing on our web
site at http://igotduped.net. You can follow us on twitter to stay
informed about the status. @igotduped