But even if you're truly sincere, an aggressive strategy of communicating your moral values is not without risk, says Dave Lakhani, president of Bold Approach Inc., a marketing firm in Boise, Idaho, and author of Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want. After all, what happens if your values and those of prospective customers don't match up? Good luck creating any kind of comfort level with them. "The biggest mistake that business owners make is thinking that their customers are all just like they are," Lakhani says.
This is particularly true when the values in question are explicitly religious. The Chicago law firm Mauck & Baker, for example, specializes in such earthbound matters as real estate, probate, and consumer fraud -- but its marketing unabashedly focuses on religious beliefs. The firm's tag line is "Representing God's People," and its website prominently quotes Scripture. "We're not only telling people who we are, but we're also glorifying God," says partner John W. Mauck. But at the same time, Mauck is fairly certain that his Christian message has led at least a few potential clients to look for other representation. "Sometimes, it does offend when people present their faith," he says. "There's no question about that." Mauck has no idea how many times this has happened, though he does cite -- with pride -- an instance in which a longtime client let him know that he'd be obtaining different counsel to handle his upcoming divorce. "I don't want you to handle my divorce because I know you won't crucify my wife," the client told him. "And that's okay," Mauck says, "because he was right: I wouldn't have handled it in a way that would have destroyed his wife."
Those who do intend to market on the basis of religious values need to keep their eyes wide open to the risks involved, says Stephanie Wagner, a brand-management consultant in Glendale, Wis. "It's a strong way to brand yourself," Wagner says. "But only if you're sure that you'll attract more people than you'll turn away." She cites a well-known homebuilder in her community that employs a strong Christian-values message in its television and radio ads. "It turns my stomach," says Wagner, a self-described secular liberal. "I would never, ever give them my business." If that homebuilder were her client, Wagner says, she'd ask whether it was worth turning away customers like her. The answer might well be yes. But it's important for businesses to make an informed decision, she says.
While it may seem obvious that a G-rated "What Would Jesus-Muhammad-Buddha Do?" message is beyond reproach, it can still alienate potential customers.
Careful market research is key because it's easy to mess up in moral values territory. And there's not much middle ground: Nearly eight in 10 Americans believe the distinction between good and evil is clear and immutable, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. But everyone draws that line in different ways. While it may seem obvious to you that an ecofriendly, G-rated, "What Would Jesus-Muhammad-Buddha Do" campaign is above reproach, that very message could easily alienate someone who believes something else.
It's also worth noting that in these highly polarized times, even the very word values can be controversial. Ken Greenberg, president of Edge Communications Inc., a marketing firm in Calabasas, Calif., takes umbrage at the very idea of "values-based" marketing because he sees it as a front for pushing a socially conservative political agenda. "I have been instructed by the supreme powers in Washington, D.C., that I don't matter, my values don't matter, and the values of at least 55 million of my countrymen and women don't matter either," he says. Clearly, a company that uses moral values to market to Greenberg isn't going to win a customer.
Of course, it's quite possible that you don't care about losing business from people who don't share your values. That's the position held by Campbell, of T3 Design. "I don't have a flashing-light sign outside saying that this is a Christian-owned business," she says. "But if people want more information about why I conduct my business in the way that I do, I am open to sharing. If someone doesn't want to do business with me because of that, then that's not business I need." Mauck, for his part, feels that it would not be honest to hide his religious beliefs from his clients. "Sometimes it helps business and sometimes it hurts, and that's okay," he says. Mike Paul, president of MGP & Associates, a public relations firm in the bluest of American cities, New York City, and a born-again Christian, also puts his religious beliefs at the very core of his brand. His promotional literature states that the firm makes decisions "prayerfully" and conducts business on "biblical principles." He believes this will attract the "right" kind of clients -- that is, those who are in sync with his values. And if that client turns out to be "wrong," Paul won't hesitate to sever the relationship (all of his contracts include a 90-day escape clause for this reason). "Your clients don't come first; money does not come first," he says. "If you're truly following the biblical rules of being Christian, every decision you make starts with your relationship with the Lord." Paul is certain his strong beliefs have led some people to take their business elsewhere. But, he says, "I'm very comfortable with that."
"I don't have a flashing-light sign outside saying this is a Christian-owned business, but ..."
Those who are less comfortable with the idea of losing business because of their beliefs might opt to do like McMurry and concentrate the values-talk on things that are hard to construe as controversial. "In our way of thinking, our values are guideposts for just being a decent human being," McMurry says. Indeed, it is tough to imagine principles like "do the right thing" and "help one another" inspiring a fatwa. On the other hand, such bland proclamations may not do much to set you apart from the crowd. After all, how many companies proclaim that they "do the wrong thing" or "fail to meet expectations?"
Of course, even if you're delivering a values message to customers who you know are receptive, it's not going to help much if your product or service is weak in other ways, points out NOP World's Cary Silvers. Roper Reports, for example, asked consumers why they had made recent purchasing decisions in a number of categories, and found that while concerns about values do come into play, they are almost always trumped by quality and price. "As much as values are important and guide us through our daily lives, in the marketplace it's always how it's going to play against our pocketbook," Silvers says. It's just like any other marketing move. If you've already got price, quality, and service on your side, values can be an important way to differentiate your brand. But a values campaign won't help if you don't deliver the goods in other ways. And it can even hurt if your customer's values run counter to your own. When it comes to marketing morality, it's all relative.
