Late-night television commercial: “It does everything you need it to do. It slices, it dices, it juliennes, it solves world hunger and writes lyrics for U2. The new Humanitarian Slicer and Songwriter is available for just €9.99. If you order right now, you’ll also get a free Bono figurine complete with ethically sourced cotton shirt!”

Ridiculous advert, right? Well, it’s probably not too far off the kind of marketing and advertising we’ll see this year. Thanks to the never-ending torture of bank, legal, property, Government, semi-State and church scandals, the public’s appetite for feel-good marketing is voracious. They are nearly shouting, “Please take away my pain with a decent marketing campaign!”

Ok, maybe that’s taking it too far but consumers are miserable. They feel badly betrayed by brands they trusted.

Broken promises
The rip-off Republic was a reality not a myth. European consumer goods surveys – including a recent one from Forfás – consistently find that higher prices for goods in Ireland are not justified. The phrase “customer service” is also a long-running joke.

So, now it’s payback time. Money is tight and consumer spending is way down. If customers buy something, it’s because it offers a good price, they respect the brand’s values, it makes them feel good or it is built to last.

Patriotism has nothing to do with it. In late 2008, when some shops failed to pass on the improved sterling-to-euro rate, customers voted with their wheels and drove up north. It was fit penance for retailers who broke the golden commandment: thou shalt not break thy customer’s trust.

Shattered reputations
Once you break the bonds of trust with your customers, your brand is tarnished. The trust hall of shame is littered with big names. No matter what they do, Primark will be forever linked with child labour in third-world countries and Nike with sweatshops.
Our brands have not covered themselves in glory this year either. Anglo Irish Bank’s logo is now synonymous with greed and dishonesty. Ireland Inc was recently branded the “Wild West” of European finance. It’s not a great time for trust in Irish companies.

Millions of euro went into developing and marketing these brands but the companies forgot one thing – integrity. The message must match the reality or you’ll be labelled a hypocrite. We all know “Holy Rollers” who attend mass every Sunday but spend the rest of the week spreading nasty rumours about their neighbours. Don’t allow your brand to be seen in the same light.

Marketing integrity
Marketing integrity means selling products and services using honest means. Although it might be tempting to say your client’s latest gizmo is the ultimate “can-do” item, the truth will come out eventually. You only have one chance to sell, so use it wisely.

Four areas can improve your brand’s integrity – labelling, pricing, information and staff training.

Labels are often the customer’s first impression of your product. Until recently, fat free and organic were among the two of the most abused food label phrases. Stronger laws and organic certification schemes have improved things but consumers are still dubious. You need to make sure that copywriters can back words with facts.

Pricing strongly suggests whether or not a company has integrity. Consumers automatically ask themselves: are they charging me a fair price or just ripping me off? Do they increase prices right before the sales and then discount them back down to the regular price?

It’s also important to give your customers all the information they need to make an informed decision.

At the moment, many financial institutions are sending letters out to customers who are having trouble making payments on mortgages, loans and credit cards. The problem is that few communications answer the customer’s question: “What’s in it for me?” All a customer in this situation wants to know is what will happen if I don’t make the payment or what happens if I don’t contact the bank?

A friend who works in banking says: “There should be no such thing as small print. The first company to announce a ‘no small print’ policy will most certainly win market share.”

Brands are lifeless unless you have people to sell them. Staff members selling your products should be trained in your corporate values. Personal integrity ensures the brand message meshes with the customer experience. For example, if there is a problem, staff should not be afraid to apologise. Honesty is the best policy and it will mark your company out as one with business integrity.

Integrity sells so companies that still have one shred of decency associated with their brand should protect it like the last drop of water in a well.

Margaret E. Ward is managing director of Clear Ink, the Clear English Specialists, and an Irish Times business columnist.

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