Ads That Push the Envelope

That apology went a long way toward winning the hearts of independent women throughout the city. We soon began to see an increase in traffic from women purchasing diamonds for themselves.

Why did I respond to the two complaints from women after ignoring the six complaints from the defenders of English grammar? Although only two women took the time to complain, it seemed likely thousands of other women felt the same way when they heard the ad. The defenders of English grammar, on the other hand, probably represented only themselves and a dozen other people. Also, an apology to the women was consistent with our goal of being perceived as less formal and intimidating than other jewelers. Transparency and honesty in admitting your mistakes is very reassuring to potential customers.

You can, however, go too far when advertising. When handling the nitroglycerine of a statement with impact, always avoid the following: racial stereotyping, obvious sexual innuendo and matters of religion or faith.

If you avoid these three categories of insult, you're not likely to do your company damage. But if you've committed a genuine blunder, follow these guidelines:

1. Apologize for it openly, sincerely and transparently in the same medium in which the offence was made.

2. Send a handwritten apology and thank you to the person or persons who brought the faux pas to your attention.

3. Don't make excuses.

My jeweler client, a genuinely nice guy, had a fabulous year. During the week after Christmas, he aired the following ad. See if it fits the image of the rest of his campaign.

The hardest thing about being a jeweler is that you never know how big a store you should build or how many people you should hire to work in it. No matter how small you build it, there will be plenty of times when it's empty and you've got no customers at all. And no matter how big you build it or how many people you hire to work there, there will be times when you've got more customers than you can serve. And that's even worse.

This is Richard Kessler of Kesslers Diamond Center. If you came to Kesslers during the holidays and found way too many people ahead of you, I hope you'll accept my apology. We work hard to ensure that every person who walks through our door has a magical experience, but sometimes we fall short of the mark. This year, my New Year's resolution is to find new and better ways to make sure that you have a relaxed and pleasant experience at Kesslers Diamond Center, no matter when you come to see us. I'm Richard Kessler, and I really do want to be your jeweler.

We didn't include a street address or phone number because that would have commercialized the ad and made it seem insincere. Do you have the courage to run two or three ads like these a year? If so, go write some ads that get attention, drive traffic and generate complaints.