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Jacqueline Drew

Jacqueline Drew on marketing: The customer isn't always right

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 | 09:18 AM ET

Money Talks is a collection of daily columns from The Business Network, which airs weekday mornings on CBC Radio One at 5:45 a.m. ET (6:15 a.m. ET in N.L.).

"The Customer is always right," coo many business people, pretending that their customers' word is gospel, "Yes, yes, yes....it's our fault. We'll fix that right away sir..." And many consumers have smugly come to believe that indeed no matter what the circumstances, businesses should indeed cower to their complaint or whim.

As a marketing professional, shouldn't I agree? After all, good marketing is really about fulfilling every desire customers have, isn't it? Well, sorry but not all the time. Here's what I mean:

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Jacqueline Drew on marketing: Keep it simple, stupid!

Friday, October 5, 2007 | 02:42 PM ET

Money Talks is a collection of daily columns from The Business Network, which airs weekday mornings on CBC Radio One at 5:45 a.m. ET (6:15 a.m. ET in N.L.).

Last week I had to chuckle at myself for lining up in a bookstore to buy about three books which all included either the words, "The Idiots Guide to" or "The Complete Idiot's guide to" or "yada yada yada for Dummies. " Now mind you, I was buying books on Mathematics and Statistics, but I still thought it was pretty telling that books of that ilk were in fact appealing to me, a person who generally likes to think of herself as at least a mildly intelligent woman.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about a phrase a good friend of mine often says, which is "The risk of insult is the price of clarity." And this is something that couldn't be more true in creating good advertising.

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