Audience – source of credibility in Influencer Marketing
The “Testable Credential” allows to audience to see, test and believe before they buy.
In 1984, in what was one of the most brilliant TV commercials of all time, Influencer marketing took in its fold a brand-new source of credibility – the Audience.
This is the second among my 3-part series on Influencer Marketing.
Check out the first part of this Influencer series.
TV Commercial: Where’s the beef?
In 1984, the world famous commercial by Wendy’s portrayed three elderly ladies being served an enormous hamburger bun containing a minuscule hamburger patty.
While two of the women are commenting on the size of the bun, they are interrupted by an irascible 80-year-old woman, Clara Peller, who looks around in vain for customer assistance while making the outraged demand:
“Where’s the beef?”
In an era when McDonald’s and Burger King promoted the size of their burgers with products like the “Big Mac” and “Whopper”, Wendy’s highlighted a genuine advantage of their hamburgers. They really did have more beef!
The ad had a big impact boosting Wendy’s sales by 31% in 1985.
How did Wendy’s make this claim credible?
The Ad implicitly challenged the customers to verify Wendy’s claims “See for yourself. Look at our burgers vs. the McDonald’s burgers. You will notice the size difference.”
The message didn’t bank on a celebrity like Larry Bird, nor an authority nor did it quote details like “15% more beef.” Instead, it outsourced its credibility to its customers.
Testable credential
This challenge asking customers to test a claim for themselves is a “testable credential”. It allows the audience to see, test and believe before they buy.
And there can be no influence bigger than the support of the entire audience.
Courtesy: “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath
