Truth

It all comes down to honest and clear communication and knowing your own core. Users want to know what they’re getting, and they’ll appreciate clarity. So, are you selling them fun? Are you selling them a solution to their problems? Are you looking to give them a utility that makes their lives easier? Don’t tell them about something that doesn’t exist, don’t exaggerate, and don’t over-dramatize.

Ultimately, when you deliver an honest message, you’ll get such wonderful information to improve your product and brand, and you’ll get continuous praise as a feedback loop. This can be really positive for your internal culture.

I love the old movie Crazy People, with Dudley Moore, just because it’s such an exaggerated account of what can happen to your brand when you start telling the truth. Moore plays an ad exec checked into a mental hospital by his employer when he breaks under the stress of the business. The other patients in the hospital help him write a new batch of ads – which accidentally get sent to print. Of course, sales go through the roof and the agency wants a piece of the magic that Moore and his new friends created. That magic was the truth – yes, our product tastes like crap, but it might save your life. Who wouldn’t believe that?