Businesses put time and effort into brand management and advertising in the hope of making their products and services appealing to their target markets. While it is important to make their offering attractive and enticing, the messaging should not stray from the truth and present something that actually cannot be provided. Ambiguous messaging can also leave potential customers confused and unsure about exactly what it is they are being sold.
The most recent case of a misleading advertising campaign comes with the Huel ads being banned after a false food savings claim. One of their adverts which ran on Facebook in August and September 2022 claimed that Huel "helps keep money in your pockets", adding that a month's worth cost less than £50.
Another advert on the firm's website also claimed that Huel could help "save money on food".
The Advertising Standards Authority said that the ads were seen at a time of worsening financial crisis, during which increasing energy and food costs, as well as rising inflation, were having a significant impact on people in the UK. They ruled that Huel didn't make it clear enough that the £50 claim was based on having one meal replacement per day.
This shows the need for clarity in advertising to ensure regulators do not ban them. Furthermore misleading ads and promotions can lead to negative press, as seen with a recent incident at Burger King.
A customer posted on social media how the promotion Burger King were doing was no longer in their system when they went to order it. The customer’s TikTok video has been seen more than 102,000 times since being posted to the platform on Jan 13.
It prompted several other comments saying how Burger King do not know what they are doing. “Every time I order a deal, there’s confusion,” one remarked. “They don’t even know what’s on their own menu screen.”
Negative feedback spreading across social media can be extremely damaging for a business, and emphasises the need for clear messaging, which brings further benefits for companies.
Clear messaging increases customer engagement
Clarity is at the heart of good communication and will ensure that existing and potential customers understand what they are being sold. Unclear messages can lead to confusion and a loss of interest. Businesses will want customers and clients to be engaged from the start, and clear messaging can help do this by:
Simple and clear messaging allows adverts to be easily understood by anyone who looks at them. Complicated phrasing or the use of unnecessary jargon can result in readers losing interest and ads will experience lower engagement as a result.
- Getting to the main point quicker
In a world where people’s attention spans are declining, businesses may only have a few seconds to engage with a potential customer. Therefore it is vital that the main point they want to get across is given right away. A clear and well written advert can do this and avoid going too far off topic.
- Holding attention for longer
Simple, short and clear messages will prevent readers from getting lost with complicated jargon and help retain an audience's attention for longer. The longer you keep someone studying an advertisement, the more chance you have of them making further enquiries or completing a purchase.
Copywriting from BBI Brandboost
Here at BBI Brandboost we work with many different clients across a wide range of industry sectors and create and run engaging advertising and social media campaigns for them. We ensure that we have a deep understanding of any products or services they want to advertise, so that we can craft clear, honest and engaging adverts for them. If you would like to take advantage of our copywriting service to enhance your audience engagement then please contact us now.