posted by Ronan Doyle, Creative Director

I lie for a living. I’m as trustworthy as a car salesman. I’m always trying to sell you something you don’t need. I’m slick, and I’ll say anything to get your money out of your wallet, and into mine.

I’m an ad man. And as such, I’ve been called a lot of things.

Advertising has consistently ranked among the least respected professions in America. In a 2009 study, we were right down there with shamed stockbrokers, lobbyists, congressmen, and lawyers.

Well, that’s some slick company, for sure. Too bad it’s entirely untrue. Of course, being as slick as we are, the irony is not lost on us that while we’re in the business of creating images, we’re the ones with the image problem. The real fact of the matter, however, is that those in the advertising business don’t actually peddle lies at all. If anything, it’s just the opposite. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that what we really are, are purveyors of truth.

Throughout the history of advertising the most effective and memorable campaigns are the ones built on truth. Or, what I like to call each brand’s universal human truth. After all, you can’t hold someone’s attention long enough to affect a behavioral change unless you’ve captured their attention to begin with. And the best way to capture attention is through agreement. When we in the ad biz uncover the singlular, simple truth in a brand, we’ve uncovered the one thing that everyone can relate to.

Sounds simple, right? Well, it’s actually anything but. And the reason why is because the universal truth in a brand isn’t always as obvious as you’d think. And sometimes, it’s not even very good news at all. For example, one of the strongest, most effective, and most loved ad campaigns of all time is one built upon the realization, and acceptance of an unfortunate truth.

The Campaign: Got Milk?*

Before this campaign could enter our media, our minds, our popular culture, and t-shirt shops across the world, the agency and client had to realize the universal truth about milk: Milk is never a star. It is always, and only, a co-star. Milk is an accompaniment to other things, but doesn’t stand alone.  The acceptance that one’s brand is not important to people unless paired with something else is bad news at a glance. But what they did with it turned it into something stronger than any product benefit ever could be. They showed that without milk, so many other things aren’t nearly as good. It was real, powerful, and true.

Not only can a brand’s universal truth be an obstacle to overcome, such as a brand that plays second fiddle like milk, but a brand’s universal truth can also be something that’s not exclusive to that brand at all. Sometimes, with so much parity among brands today, the universal truth of a brand is also the universal truth of the category. In this case, he who says it best, or says it first, wins.

The Campaign: America Runs on Dunkin’**

This simple sentiment, which completely re-branded Dunkin’ Donuts is not something that only Dunkin’ Donuts could say… but it’s what they said, and said big. The fact is, America runs on coffee. It’s seen in everyday life and in pop culture, around the country and around the world. Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee. I’m useless until my second cup, and so on. Any company that offers coffee as their centerpiece could have said it, but Dunkin’ did. And now, Dunkin’ owns it. The universal truth in the Dunkin’ brand is so much bigger than Dunkin’ Donuts as a company. It’s a truth about how Americans begin their day, and by harnessing it, Dunkin’ made it theirs.

So, while we advertising practitioners will most likely always be thought of as slick, sleazy liars, the truth is that what we deal in is genuinely simple realities that consumers relate to. We uncover the most common, relatable benefit, and we communicate from it. The fact is – we deal in the truth. How ironic.

*Got Milk? created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

**America Runs on Dunkin’ created by Hill | Holliday