Why "We Care" is the Wrong Advertising Message

I spent more than 20 years in the healthcare marketing world and if there is one tenet I learned, it is that running ads that say "we care" is a tremendous waste of money. Why? Because when it comes to hospitals, doctors, surgical centers or other healthcare providers, "caring" is something that patients assume you will do or be. Really, do anyone ever expect their healthcare provider to NOT be caring? It is such an assumed part of what you provide to your customers, that it is silly to waste your money talking about it. So why do so many do it?

But I would extend that tenet beyond the healthcare industry and say that "we care" - or similar expressions of basic service - is a waste of your money. Here are some examples:

- Quality or High Quality
- Excellent Service
- Treat You Like Family
- We're the Best
- Lowest Price


There are many more, but the point here is that these are all things that your customers probably assume about you before they even decide to do business with you. Why would they ever do business with a retailer who didn't provide great service, or low prices, or good quality? Besides, a lot of customers don't really believe those claims, anyway - especially the younger Gen Y customers who are tremendously cynical about this sort of thing.

Yet, when it comes time to create advertising and marketing messages, many companies zero in on these phrases and want to pack in as many as they can into their ads. The problem is that when you do that, your ad becomes generic, and you begin to blend in with all of your competitors who are claiming the same thing.

So, what should you do? Find your UVP - Unique Value Proposition - and exploit it. Figure out what IS different about your company that customers will actually believe. Create a message that communicates that difference loud and clear. Make sure your employees know it, believe it, and can articulate it to your customers. Then put it in your advertising. And leave the "we care" stuff to the amateurs.