Marketing Tip: How to hide stuff in the fine print

Have you noticed something about the fine print we find in marketing and on packaging?

It’s printed really small.

And there’s a reason for that. They would rather we didn’t see it. So, they do their best not to make it stand out. It’s one of the reasons I hate sales and marketing.

The fine print is where they hide caveats. It’s where they bury disclaimers. It’s where they tell us that the promises in their marketing are grossly inflated. Or that their product doesn’t look as good as it does on the packaging, etc.

This got me thinking: Surely there’s an ethical, positive way to use the fine print?

So, I had some coffee.

Then I went for a long walk.

I came back to the studio, had another coffee, put “A Love Supreme” by John Coltrane on… then it came to me.

Imagine this.

• How would you feel, if you read the fine print and discovered that it actually confirmed the product to be just as good as they said, in the LARGE print? Maybe even adding an additional benefit?
• How would your prospective clients feel, if your fine print confirmed your marketing claims and reiterated you were being totally honest with them?

That’s the kind of eye-popping surprise that people remember. It helps build trust. And it’s also the kind of story, which people like to share with their friends.