It is well documented that the 1980's brought the "Age Of Skepticism" in advertising to the American public. It came, in fact, shortly after the infamous 1979 customer survey that Oglivy and Mather of New York City conducted. That survey revealed that 75% of those asked did not think that advertising in general told the Truth. In short, the message was this: 3/4 of those you were about to advertise to, probably won't believe you.

Twenty two years later, there is no evidence that much of the American attitude has changed. If you search around, you probably won't find any written record that someone has stepped up to the podium and declared a final end to this Age of Skepticism. If you check the customer surveys of the late 1990's, you'll find continuous references to the fact that customers want "advertising that is believable."

The "Age Of Skepticism" in American advertising was probably coming, Oglivy survey or not. The survey, however, ended up presenting some very clear and disturbing evidence. But by 1980, the American public had had 100 years of blatant mass advertising as we know it. And frankly, they were very tired of being lied to. In fact, if you check history, you'll find that at the outset of mass advertising, many businesses didn't want anything to do with the advertising concept itself. Publishers lied about circulation amounts; ad brokers made deals with publishers behind the backs of consumers, and no one took responsibility for anything in the industry. But there was one thing that kept everyone in the ball game, regardless of how nasty the business was. Something called money.

Our first "taste" of mass advertising was the infamous "patent medicine" campaigns of the late 1880's. A poor way to start the American advertising heritage. A campaign of selling "elixirs" to the American public that contained cocaine, heroin and many times 44% alcohol rates, with ads claiming they cured everything. It took the American public about 10 years to send the advertisers and their products to the entrepreneurial graveyard. In the interim, however, millions were made in advertising alone.

By 1900 the "floodgates" of mass advertising were open, and the race was on. The deception continued in all aspects of selling and advertising and finally, 80 years or so later, the American public reacted to it all in a message to all companies and their advertising techniques. The message was very clear from American consumers. And that same message has stayed very clear for the last twenty two years. . .

YOUR E-MAIL AD CAMPAIGN...THE ART OF DECEPTION & DIVERSION

By the turn of the 2000 Century, e-mail advertising was skyrocketing. Once again, the race for the Dollar was on. However, no one reminded the new advertisers of America's past dealings with the advertising arena; no one told these "new centurions" about the Oglivy survey, nor the Age of Skepticism. No one has mentioned to them the "believability" surveys of the late '90's. No one, in fact, told the new advertisers that regardless of where and how you are advertising, the fundamental laws of human interaction, and the "rules of advertising," have not changed.

One trend that has emerged is the "deception" involved in getting people to actually open an e-mail. Today's advertisers have totally neglected what consumers have been telling the ad industry for many years now. Instead, sellers have found it acceptable to use whatever deception necessary to get potential customers to read their e-mail. They use the "subject line" in this regard. The emerging trend seems to be to make the e-mail "personal" and then when opened, immediately hit the consumer with a sales pitch for whatever you're selling. There's nothing personal about the e-mail and the sender has no interest in you at all.

For some reason, advertisers believe that a "deceptive subject line" followed by a "legitimate sales piece" will sell the resulting product/service. The tactic won't make any sales of any significance. You can't sell "half truths." Consumers won't accept them. When customers don't trust ads, they don't trust the resulting product or service.

A second emerging trend, many times connected to Trend #1 above, is making it difficult or nearly impossible to be removed from a list. By frustrating the "removal process" for the consumer and diverting him/her to another site for one last shot at "selling," advertisers have mistakenly been taught they have the final upper hand. They don't. The customer always has the upper hand. Now the customer is convinced deception is in the wind.

Technology in advertising is a way of life today. Hitting thousands of potential customers with one e-mail, instead of addressing postcards/letters and attaching stamps, is an entrepreneur's dream. It has, on the other hand, the unfortunate ability of creating dollar signs in the eyes. Dollar signs that many times cloud the fact that regardless of the advertising "tools" you use, the underlying "rules of advertising" will always remain constant. Master advertiser Roy Williams said it best when he said, "Advertising is persuasion through an exchange of confidence. Advertising is not persuasion through trickery."

Both of the above tactics directly conflict with what consumers, customer surveys, and history have been telling us with regard to advertising. Using them will be the introductory paragraph of your business epitaph.

About the Author:
WANT MORE? Want some of the "realities of selling?" Ryanna's has published over 50 business articles for entrepreneurs. You can have various articles and ebooks at their site, and receive a copy of their free ezine, "Surveys and Trends..For Entrepreneurs." Go to: http://home.sprintmail.com/~rypublish/

e mail campaigns