Think: beach weddings. Your mind wanders to an exotic island, where a tan couple kisses in a white wedding gazebo, surrounded by palm trees. They smile and listen to the sound of the ocean with toes buried in the sand. Then, they shift their gazes away from the sunset to see a crowd of bored tourists, watching the wedding take place and itching their sunburn arms.
Wait, what? I bet this last image wasn't part of your fantasy. Nevermind, because it can reflect the reality accurately.
A series of photo fakeouts by Oyster Hotel Reviews exposes the false promises of hotel marketing. Oyster's wedding photo fakeout called A classy, intimate beach wedding for everybody! definitely struck me as the funniest and potentially, the most unpleasant experience. After all, it showed a real threat to one of the most precious celebrations in a lifetime. Yet the fakeout series also demonstrated the importance of honesty in the digital age.
If a hotel offers you the perfect wedding package, it should better reveal the entire picture of its advertised product--not just a close-up on the smiling faces of the married couple.Treating your customers with respect is a fundamental marketing principle. If a business lies to its customer base, how is it going to improve customer satisfaction and create a positive brand for itself?
Marketing fabrications could, more or less, work in print or on TV. In the digital ecosystem, however, typing a brand name in Google can show you a whole lot of different perspectives and product reviews. It is an environment that thrives on transparency and honesty. And if you don't abide by these standards, someone like Oyster (and, ultimatley, the public) will hold you accountable for it.
Photo credit: Camlin Photography