Fahd Osman, marketplace leader, IBM Middle East, on old sayings and new ways

I’ve always found it funny just how many old-fashioned sayings conflict with one another. “Look before you leap” but “he who hesitates is lost”; “better safe than sorry”, yet “nothing ventured, nothing gained”… And my favorite: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, but “nice guys finish last”.

Our line of business also has a contradiction. “The customer is always right”, but “stay true to what you believe in”. This paradox, at best, can cause brands – and their agencies – to lose sight of their real purpose. At worst, they create a form of brand schizophrenia that can bring big brands to their knees.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of examples where brands have tried to please customers and forgotten about being who they (the brands) are: automakers who have “embellished” key environmental data – because pleasing the customer is more important than being honest (or ecologically responsible); tech companies that have rushed product roll-outs, because heaven forbid there shouldn’t be a new product every year; and confectioners who have cleared large swaths of rainforest so they can save a couple of cents on the cost of producing candy.

I get it. Competition is tough and customer feedback, powered by vitriolic hyperbole and social media, can be alarming when not taken in context. Knee-jerk reactions are human nature and a small project to try and be more “customer-centric” can snowball into something big, scary and potentially fatal to a well-meaning brand.

It pays to remember that customers, at the end of the day, are people. Individuals with biases, impulses and tempers. On the other hand, they also have short attention spans, can love deeply and forgive fully – if you raise them right.

I use the word ‘raise’ because I feel, often, that the relationship between a brand and its customers is startlingly similar to that between a parent and child. I’m not saying customers are immature – at least not all of them. As a parent – and I am sure those of you who have child-proofed your houses will concur – I know the danger of indulging kids. Let’s face it: children possess the rawest forms of the traits that I’ve mentioned earlier. If you give them everything they want, they will expect that again and even demand more. An hour of TV everyday will result in demands for two and tantrums when one isn’t received.

The values we want to share with our kids are no different from a brand’s. We want our children and our customers to be fair, considerate and happy. So, we – and the brands we manage and consult for – must, through our actions, instill those traits.

We (the brand) must be honest, so when we ask our consumers to believe us about something out of the ordinary, they will. When we raise our prices, change our packaging or slip up, if our customers understand that we do things thoughtfully because we dialogue with them instead of giving in all of the time, they will forgive us (eventually). And if one of our influencers or celebrity endorsers turns out to belong to some strange cult that believes we are all made of instant noodles, our customers will just think: “What an odd person.”

Customers can’t be right all the time. Because they are people. Brands cannot give in to what customers want all of the time. Because they are run by people. People are fallible. Fallibility in judgement means bad decisions. Bad decisions means being wrong. Being wrong sometimes means you aren’t right all the time. And around we go again.

To paraphrase another old proverb: “Spare the (marketing) rod, spoil the customer”.