Seven Sins of Communication
We are indebted to Sins of Greenwashing who developed the Seven Sins in the context of their work investigating environmental labelling on consumer goods. However, we believe that the Sins apply more generally to corporate communication. Below we list the Sins, in no particular order, and provide some examples of companies that have sinned.
- Hidden Trade-off: A claim made against a narrow set of attributes without attention to other important, related attributes.
- No proof: A claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information or by reliable third-party endorsement.
- False Labels: A claim that gives the impression of third-party endorsement where no such endorsement exists.
- Vagueness: A claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the audience.
- Irrelevance: A claim that may be truthful but is unimportant or unhelpful for the intended audience.
- Lesser of Two Evils: A claim that may be true, but risks distracting the audience from other impacts which may be of greater importance.
- Fibbing: Claims that are simply false.
As reported in SkyNews in February, 2010: "The Conservatives have been accused of using misleading statistics about violent crime in their campaign leaflets. The party sent constituency activists figures that suggested the number of violent attacks had leapt in recent years. But they have been accused of leaving out Home Office warnings that the rise was down to a change in the way the statistics are collected."
The Guardian reported: "A TV ad promoted Heinz Nurture infant formula and milk by stating that a baby needed a "special combination of nutrients to sustain the incredible growth in its brain, body and immune system". It claimed that Heinz had developed Nurture to "provide for those three essential aspects of growth" and that it helped "nourish, protect and develop your baby.
The Advertising Standards Authority received three complaints that the ad made claims about immunity and development in children that the product could not justify."
WalletPop.com reported: "More than six dozen companies - including some of the US's biggest retailers - are being warned by the Federal Trade Commission to stop mislabeling clothing and textiles made of rayon as being made from bamboo. "Using the term bamboo may appeal to many eco-conscious consumers," James Kohm, the FTC's Enforcement Division director said. "These consumers, however, may be concerned about products made from bamboo that involve significant chemical processing, such as rayon. We want to make sure that consumers are not misled.""
An FT article in October 2009 reported: "Companies are cluttering up their annual reports with waffle about their social responsibilities while two-thirds are still not meeting the spirit of requirements to report on the real risks facing their businesses, according to the accounting watchdog.
The report, by the Financial Reporting Council, called on companies to be straightforward if they do not have social issues material to their businesses after it found one that detailed its donation of "chocolate gifts" to the community in its corporate social responsibility section while another dwelt on its "football coaching.""
As reported by Marketing Week in February, 2010: "Tesco and Asda have been slammed for misleading consumers by manipulating price cuts in the run up to Christmas, according to a report.
An investigation by The Guardian found that the majority of price cuts introduced by the supermarket in the run up to Christmas were worth just 1p, while at the same time the stores increased prices on other products by much more."
Alternet.org reported in 2005, that The Disney Corporation was placing nutrition guidelines on licensed food products aimed at children. At the time, this was widely reported in the media as Disney having a positive health impact on children. But, the story went on to explain whist taking this action in its theme parks, "Disney didn't do anything about the junk food advertising that appears on its array of television stations, which include ABC Network, ABC Family, Disney Channel, and Toon Disney. Also, not a word was mentioned about the increasing trend of product placement in movies and television, an advertising technique that children are especially vulnerable to because of its stealth nature."
In December last year, the FDA released 17 warning letters to food manufacturers relating to false product labelling. An extract of a letter to Nestle states: "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the labeling for several Nestle Juicy Juice products. . . Your Juicy Juice Brain Development Fruit Juice Beverage product is misbranded… because its labeling includes unauthorized nutrient content claims."
