Let’s get real about testimonials.

Using a testimonial can be a good way to cut through layers of consumer skepticism. Done right, it provides a great platform for Strategic Messaging – an opportunity to show consumers your brand has been chosen by people they will find interesting, relevant and relatable. 

There can be the tendency, however, to overthink the use of testimonials … try to be “too cute by half” as the old saying goes.

Some seem to think that a testimonial must be the absolute perfect distillation of your brand truth or your campaign theme. This leads some advertisers to think they can pull the wool over consumers eyes with laughably overwrought “testimony” that was so very clearly born at the keyboard of some agency copywriter. Words just too good to be true … too overwrought for a real person to ever say … without a script, at least. Look no further than this example from the good folks at Jared (found at www.ispot.tv/ad/qJhH/jared-love-endures-all-things).

A visually interesting spot with high production values, no question. The lead actress really goes for it. But it wears its fakiness almost as a badge of honor. Not a hint of verisimilitude to be found.  

It can be tempting to concoct these stories in the hopes that they convince some viewers that they are actually true. (Hey, what do I know, maybe this story IS true. Still, I’d bet it was formed in a copywriter's mind.)  

So, when presenting one of these “too perfect to be real” stories, it’s important to ask: What does that do to my brand? Will the insincerity of fabricated reality do more harm than good in the long run? Have I lied to my potential customer, and will they trust me with their money and loyalty? 

Here’s another way to think about testimonials—the way Capital One does with their Spark card campaign.  

Capital One gets it. The real people who appear in your spots (and they should BE real, not actors pretending to be real) are just as much a reflection of your brand as Sam Jackson or Jennifer Garner. 

Look, I’m not naïve, I get that nothing that is written, directed and filmed is actually real. But, in creating your story, make sure the people who are telling it are an extension of (and, in the best case, an enhancement to) your brand. 

It’s hard to imagine brand ambassadors any more engaging than the Antonellis. Successful but not stodgy, enthusiastic about what they do, and happy to tell you that their Spark card is part of the equation. They don’t anoint the card, or the brand, with superpowers. They don’t put the brand inside a story of life and death, like Jared did. Nothing they say is “profound.” Simple, straightforward … real people, identified as such, who actually appear to be real. 

An agency can probably cook up a Jared-style “real story” in 1/10 the time it took the Capital One team research and find just the right spokespeople and put them in the best possible light. The right solution, after all, usually takes a lot more time than the easy path.

Maybe it’s just me, but “And we’re the Antonelli’s!” is one of the more engaging moments I’ve seen in a Cap One spot in some time.

A succinct story that aligns directly to their Brand Truth. That’s Strategic Messaging at it’s best. You did good, Capital One. Real good.