The Handsomest Man In The World

That's me. The handsomest.

What? You don't believe me?

I have affidavits from my mother, my wife, and several of my employees.

I have awards from the American Association of Old Fat Bald Guys.

What? You still don't believe? You think I'm lying?

Okay, maybe I'm not really the handsomest. Maybe I'm just trying to make a point.

The point is this. You would think that one of the first things people trained in advertising would learn is that what you say can be very different from what you communicate.

I can walk into a room and say, “I am the handsomest man in the world.” What I am communicating, however, is “I am a great big fucking jerk.”

Not one person in the room will believe that I am the handsomest man in the world, and everyone in the room will believe I am a jerk.

When you say something that no one believes, you are not only wasting your money, you are undermining your credibility. And all the spurious "support points" in the world don't make absurd claims any more believable.

Yet advertisers continue to ignore the distinction between what they are saying and what they are communicating.

Stereo retailers continue to talk about their “great customer service.” Big banks continue to talk about the importance of “relationships.” Computer peripheral manufacturers continue to talk about "plug and play."

All they are communicating is that they are bullshit artists who can't be trusted.

Follow-Up...
Last week in "A Perfectly Balanced Narcissism" I said, "...what social media is primarily about is narcissism." I suggest you check this out. It's almost to good to be true. Thanks to Ray Lam.

Psychiatric Update...
According to his lawyer, Roman Polanski -- the creep who drugged and raped a 13-year-old and then fled the country to avoid punishment and has now spent two weeks in jail-- is feeling depressed.