OK, maybe not healthy, but it IS the new norm for just about everyone we interact with.  If you make a promise, expect to be scrutinized even by those close to you.  Do we miss the old days of trusting folks to do what they profess they’ll do?  Absolutely.  Have they delivered on their promises? Have you?

“She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. “-Jean-Paul Sartre

The most trusted institutions in our society have failed, and/or been depleted beyond belief and no one seems to be able to do much about it – leading to a deep distrust of anyone except those who have also been hurt to some degree.  If you are seen as one of the institutions that helped get us into this mess, good luck on recovering trust from all but your stockholders (in some cases, that’s enough!) and if you are one leading the way out, it won’t all be rosy as we climb out of the abyss, but there are real opportunities now to rally support and awareness.

Back a few years ago, it was expensive to get in touch with your most loyal consumers on a regular basis and deepen brand loyalty.  Today, direct message them on Twitter or Facebook with a new offering or news of your company’s progress toward complete recovery and what that means to them!  Be honest and remember that even your biggest victory will be met with deep skepticism and a  few negative blogs which stem from a new core of our society which simply exists to throw water on concepts catching fire.  Dr. No is alive and well and multiplying while Dr. Probably Not is the one you’ll bump into first to convince as you release your news.  Know this and accept it as a part of your public discourse and don’t try to shelter your customers from it as they also know it exists… in fact if there isn’t a negative or two on someone’s blog, you probably believe it has been sanitized, right?

Our message must be phrased in an understanding of context and as you survey the marketing landscape, or that of imaging products, meet that skepticism with legitimacy and honest answers to the questions you know Dr. No will ask.  Let folks call you out on your blog and let them know the reality of what’s going on and the thought process surrounding their concern, and odds are you’ll win them over in a more deeply rooted and a longer term way.  You don’t believe me do you?  That’s why I went first!

Gar

PS http://tinyurl.com/yfwksw2