Marketers Fail to Proof

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Gosh, it must be tough to be in Marketing! No sooner does a competitor start a new campaign -- you are expected to produce a counter-campaign. The more the rush -- the more the chance of errors...

Coles announced that all of their meat is free of artificial hormones. How can Woolworths counter that? With a new range which is produced without the aid of added hormones, of course.

Unfortunately, Marketing failed to proof-read their copy...

There's a full-page in today's West (31 Dec 2010), announcing "Pure Organic Beef"... The "Macro Wholefoods Market Organic range of products"... Goodness me!

"Macro" makes me think of macrobiotics; I don't know what they are but they must be good for me. "Wholefoods" is clearly better that half foods, or processed foods, or mish-mash-mush foods. "Market" brings an image of farmers, fresh air, fresh produce. "Organic", well, that's always good. All these magnificent, loaded, positive cliches!

So, how can we identify these great products?

"Look," says the proud Marketing blurb, "for the purple Macro Organic ticket..." Glance left of the blurb and yes, the purple ticket. But... wait... what's that?!

Half the page is taken up with a photo of "Macro Wholefoods Market Organic" beef, porterhouse steak. Nice beef, no beef there.

Except that the "Organic" label is not purple... The label is green.

Oops!

Just a minor marketing blue... Black marks to Marketing... Let's hope the bosses don't see red... Too tight a deadline in the race to be green... Raced through some amber lights in the effort to get to press...

Now I'm white with fear that there will be an error in my own post. Still, I'm not so yellow that I delay publication :-)

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