The “Number One” Phenomenon…

On my way to work this morning, while sitting on the edge of my seat in the back of the taxi watching the cab driver race time for some reason unknown to me, I saw an outdoor sign which triggered an urgent piece of writing; the sign read: “The Number One Hair Salon” followed by the name of that salon.

This brought flashbacks to me of the numerous TV shopping channels which advertise almost the same products under the same taglines that claim that this or that product or service is new, unique, innovative, number one, or that it is now sold for the first time in the Middle East, etc. I was also reminded of all those toothpaste advertisers which employ dentists to testify that toothpaste Y is the best for whitening and toothpaste X is the best for protecting the tooth enamel. Oh, and I also remembered those many ads of this type of milk or that type of cheese which simply is the finest amongst all others in the market, or the healthiest or the most nutritious!

How could those products, which you can barely differentiate in characteristics and even visual appearance, all be unique, new, innovative and number one? Which product or service is the first of its kind? Which should you spend your money on? Which will be most beneficial? Why favor toothpaste X over toothpaste Y when you do realize that both dentists “testifying” to their benefits have been paid to do so? How does a mother know how to pick out the healthiest and most wholesome cheese for her kids? Why choose this device for exercise and not the other one? Why buy this gadget tool from this TV ad and not the one you saw at your supermarket? Which salon is really number one? If they all claim to be so, which one should you go to and risk getting your hair burnt from excessive ammonia or getting a lousy haircut which you’d need months and months to get over?

So many questions one might ask and I assure you there would be no one answer!

The world we are living in today revolves strictly around the right advertising in order to manipulate the regular customer and create a deep need in his/her mind of a certain product or service. It is not a money-related subject anymore. Customers are now willing to buy what they can not afford if they are “rightly persuaded” that this product or service is indeed what they need; what they have been lacking for all those years!

After this confession, I know what many may be thinking: Why would I, the business graduate and the marketing manager, write about such a subject and mainly what I do for a living is exercise this kind of approach? Well, the answer is quiet simple actually: We do not always intend to “go with the flow” when we first decide which major to study or which job to pursue, we always believe we can make a change. Sadly enough, we barely do due to the thin line that exists between marketing/advertising ethically and unethically. The important thing is to try to be as ethical as possible in a world where authority, power, money and other factors control our daily lives: what we do, where we go, what we buy, wear, eat, drink and where!

I am sure that this piece of writing will be your number one :)

Enjoy!