by Steve Erwin
July 13, 2016
Nothing supports a cause, business, or ideology like a third-party endorsement. There’s a reason they’re much sought-after, not just by companies seeking to publicize praise for a good produced or a service provided but also by politicians whose efforts are validated up by actual “voters” – even if they’re partisan, card-carrying members of a political party.
Hey, if Jane or Joe from Scarborough is overjoyed to be voting for candidate X, maybe they’re onto a good thing. It’s human nature to tend to get caught up in the honest optimism of others.
Endorsements, of course, are only as valuable as they are legitimate – and when they’re untrue or misleading can have the opposite effect of significantly destroying an organization or individual’s credibility and trustworthiness.
There’s a reason it’s wise to ensure that any testimonial advertised on behalf of a member organization is an identifiable person. Witness the hot water media bath taken by Jack MacLaren, a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament in the Eastern Ontario riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills.
The Ottawa Citizen investigated the credibility of testimonials on the politician’s website. It uncovered more than a few anomalies on a “thank you” section of the site – photos of so-called “testimonials” included a man from the Netherlands; another from San Francisco used on beauty products sites; and a New York City actress who had a bit part several years ago on the serial killer TV drama “Dexter.”
For obvious reasons, the story made for quite the media circus at Queen’s Park, where MacLaren later took the pictures down from the site and apologized for their having been posted. He did try to explain that the comments thanking him for his public service were from real people, but that the photos and names were changed to protect their identities.
Whether that’s the case or not – most people who go to the length of endorsing a politician are just fine with being publicly associated with the same politician – the credibility of the testimonials was already damaged beyond repair.
So if you’ve ever wondered whether a thank you from a client could be exaggerated or a photo grabbed off a website can be used for a real client testimonial, remember the danger this can do to public credibility.
Many clients of CAIRP members might be understandably skittish about having their names and images publicly displayed in an endorsement following a personal insolvency or credit restructuring. However, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Working in a public hospital, I’ve often underestimated the willingness of former patients to tell their stories in testimonials praising our staff – and they’re speaking openly about medical issues and conditions. If you don’t ask, you won’t know who is willing to tell the world just how you’ve been able to help them through a financial crisis, and how that help can encourage others to seek the same assistance.
Steve Erwin is a former journalist and veteran public affairs professional based in Windsor, ON, and a member of CAIRP's Board of Directors.