Over Promise and Under Deliver? Hello Marketing 101.....
The basic syllabus for marketing 101 outlines the 4 P's. We all know this: product, price, placement and promotion. BUT, we all know that the underlying premise is customer satisfaction....the customer is always right. Now, we know the later of that statement can't be taken literally. The customer has to think they are always right. It becomes all about the presentation of the whole package.
Political candidates realize this. It's all about the presentation of the whole package. Tell the customer (American voters...or would that be, my fellow Americans?, Corporate America, lobbyists) what they want to hear (product), have enough cash (the right price which gets you the promotion you need), the proper scratches on the back (proper placement), and bam....you are the next elected official.
Where did we learn that over promising and under delivering was going to make our customers happy (who ever they are)? We all know that every politician does this...honestly...the way our government works, it isn't possible to accomplish all that is set out in political agendas....including the I'll pass yours if you pass mine mentality…..due to all the bureaucratic red tape.
Why then, do many think they will get what they want from their "customer" by over promising and under delivering? STOP THE MADNESS!
I will go as far as to say 99.9% of customers will be happy if you provide what you stated....otherwise isn't that called bait and switch?
Wikipedia defines bait-and-switch as a form of fraud, most commonly used in retail sales but also applicable to other contexts. First, customers are "baited" by advertising for a product or service at a low price; second, the customers discover that the advertised good is not available and are "switched" to a costlier product. (peanut gallery add-in....Hmmmmmm...A costlier product)
Wikipedia defines the legality of bait and switch:
"In the United States, courts have held that the purveyor using a bait-and-switch operation may be subject to a lawsuit by customers for false advertising, and can be sued for trademark infringement by competing manufacturers, retailers, and others who profit from the sale of the product used as bait. However, no cause of action will exist if the purveyor is capable of actually selling the goods advertised, but aggressively pushes a competing product.....In England and Wales it is banned under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Breaking this law can result in a criminal prosecution, an unlimited fine and two years in jail."
So my question becomes....when are government officials going to stop using the bait and switch tactic? In my opinion....it's just flat out ethically wrong. Based on Wikipedia's definition of bait and switch being "applicable to other contexts" and the courts legality, some of these political "masterminds" might be subject to lawsuit. All right....we won't go there, but maybe if we did, we might get something to change around here.
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