My new series is going to be all about the weird and wonderful advertising and marketing I see in my travels as a communications specialist (writer) in Australia.

This week’s beauty comes from Midas Auto Service in Brisbane.

In case you can’t read it, the sign says, “Teamwork means not having to take all the blame yourself.”

Ummmm really???

That’s the one liner they think will best show off their services this week?

I don’t think I would ever take my car to an auto shop where they literally advertise the fact that not only do they screw up 🙄 but when they do, they cover up for each other. 😬

The advertising principle at work here is that advertising needs to create trust between your business and your customer.

This sign is aiming for humour – hey, we’re funny, you’d enjoy having your car serviced with us.

But it falls short of actually being funny, or effective, because it destroys trust.

My next post will feature advertising that uses humour, but done right, without losing the trust of the customer.

(C) TJ Withers-Ryan, 2020.