This is a true story about an average Joe Chattanoogan, that's happening right now.OK, OK, I know what you must be thinking: a blog about losing weight? And you heard about it in an ad, or by email? Wow, there's a candidate for the SPAM Hall of Fame. Just about as junk mail, potted mystery meat, and marketing-manufactured as it comes. Although.. maybe this is not what you're expecting.
We've all seen those "Before" and "After" fitness ads before. Some guy takes a "Before" picture looking potbellied, depressed and rather like a mystery meat himself. Then, 12 weeks later... what a surprise! He's metamorphosed into a knight in shining armor with great hair, a big smile and a six pack.
Well, that is not this blog. (If that is what you're looking for, I'm sure Google can hook you up.)
In fact, this is the story of truth in marketing put to the test. I am a writer and communications director by profession, and over the course of my career I have written a lot of marketing claims. Some of them I am proud of - those great moments when my words revealed a truth about a product or industry for the benefit of the client and their customers.
But some of them I am not proud of - because I found out later that my clients were feeding me a pitch that was, at best, half-true. And that I helped them feed their half-truths to other people, to make money. You don't have to be a writer to feel hungry for the whole truth. Just listen to the thousands of advertisements that bombard you every day.
To read about our Grand Experiment, click on "newer post" below.
