New Apple Lawsuit Shows Why You Need to Be Honest In Your Marketing

When you look at Apple’s official marketing images for the iPhone XS and XS Max, do you notice the notch at the top of the screen?

If not, do you feel mislead by Apple for not prominently showing you that feature?

One woman from California did and has now started the process of suing the company claiming that it wasn’t clear that the iPhone had a notch from the marketing images.

While she’s taken it to an extreme, she wasn’t the only one to notice this trick.

(Photo Credit: Apple)

Others were quick to call out the company for their marketing ploy; expertly placing the wallpaper background or showing the phone from a certain angle to hid the notch.

Where Apple Went Wrong

This may seem like a minor exclusion, but users with the phone have found that the notch tends to block out content when viewing a video, image, or even text.

This shortcoming makes Apple’s marketing move appear intentional and, in turn, deceptive.

Now, when it comes to marketing there’s a fine line between highlighting the good so people want to purchase your product and completely lying.

One may argue that the company wasn’t lying, but “omitting,” but Apple is definitely walking this line very closely with these marketing images and building trust is crucial to a strong customer base. 

This turns into a trust issue.

When you lie to people in your marketing, they may begin to not trust your brand and will feel less inclined to stay loyal or spend money with it.

In fact, according to an infographic from the agency Bonfire Marketing, 63% customers would more likely buy from an authentic brand than an inauthentic brand.  This shows just how important it is to be careful when you decide to omit the truth from your marketing campaigns.

The Lesson for Brands

As you create any marketing collateral, whether it emails, ads, images, etc. make sure you're not hiding important facts or information from potential customers.

If you’re not upfront and honest from the start you create a bad taste in their mouth, leaving them feeling tricked and unappreciated.

Instead, as you build out your marketing campaign you should be building trust to gain the respect from prospects so they’re more likely to go with your company as it comes down to making that final decision.

And in the end, it’ll get you further than a cheap marketing trick which in Apple’s case could result in a lot of money lost.