Dang it! Do better marketing people...

There isn't much I get in a tizzy about anymore. Except fear-based marketing. 

That sh*t gets my blood boiling. (Just ask me about that chain establishment that shall not be named).

I'm a marketing professional that takes offense to using fear-based marketing to sell a product. It's wrong, and it gives the impression that marketers care about nothing other than pushing a product. That  just isn't the case. What happened to educating, promoting, and engaging customers? That's how you market a product! It is ultimately how you sustain sales, as well. Not to mention it's ethical. 

Since when did marketing people become the poster children for trust issues in the consumer marketplace? 

This week I got fired up when Subway joined the ranks of places I won't be supporting anymore. So, why do I care what they do? Why should anybody care? It's a sandwich, settle down. 

Here's a newsflash. All ingredients are safe. What happened to doing a little research? If they'd done some research they'd know that it is illegal to market food animals with antibiotic residue present. That means that no meat has antibiotics present. None. Zero. Zilch. Nadda. I guarantee that lettuce you're eating because it's "healthier" is far more dangerous than that slab of processed meat. 

You should also be paying attention if your livelihood revolves around agriculture because Subway just took a big shot at farmers and ranchers across the country. This type of marketing can also spark regulations that hinder farming operations, and in the long run can force that five-dollar footlong into a 10-dollar six inch. Eggs are a great example of how regulations have increased the input costs of raising chickens, and that cost has to be passed on to the consumer. That potentially could happen across the board, especially if consumer demands dictate operating regulations. This type of marketing (the type with no research or knowledge) moves the needle. 

The Subway marketing campaign scares the average consumer into buying their sandwiches and that makes me mad. 

What they've done is target consumers with gimmicks. Average Joe consumer may not be aware of this law, but they're thinking: "I'm eating at Subway because their sandwiches are safe and they don't have antibiotic laced meat." 

Sounds ridiculous, but that's where we are in the world. We've managed to pull consumers in so many different directions with so much information they don't even know what or who to believe anymore. That's the sad part. 

I encourage my agriculture industry friends to have a conversation with someone about food. They don't know what they don't know. It's part of our job to educate. We have to promote ourselves, and we have to engage our customers. We have to do our part to trim up the information gap. 

The reality is, no matter where you chose to eat, it is safe. Your food is safe. The U.S. has the safest, most abundant food supply on the planet. 

Instead of scaring people into buying your sandwich, how about educating them into buying it by assuring them the ingredients you're putting on the bread are safe, reliable, abundant, and healthy. And, grown by farmers and ranchers who care about the products they raise. Because, you know, that's the actual truth. 

Dang it, marketing people. Do better. 

In the meantime, head over to Jimmy John's. They have better sandwiches anyway.