So when the folks at Milk Bone (a business now owned by the cavity-inducing company J.M. Smucker) promised to solve this problem for us, my ears jumped straight up as though someone had just offered me a peanut butter-coated biscuit or the world’s largest and slowest squirrel had just appeared outside the back door. And I quickly imagined placing a new soft bristle brush in their furry little paws and demonstrating the proper technique for keeping their adorable canines all pearly white. (Yes dogs and humans both have “canine” teeth!…but I digress.) I also imagined taking them to CVS where to pick out their favorite brand of salmon-flavored toothpaste along with a spool of rabbit-flavored floss. That is until I actually opened the brochure and discovered that the innovative folks at Milk Bone were simply being clever marketers of a clever new dog treat designed to remove tartar, plaque, and halitosis (a.k.a., dog breath) simply by chewing on it. Though it did note that these benefits had somewhat miraculously been “proven in clinical trials.”

Not quite as impressive as teaching a world of dogs to actually brush their teeth. But it did get my attention.

And it struck me that all of us, and all the companies and organizations we work for, have the same ability to make remarkable promises that we could keep in slightly less remarkable but “clinically proven” ways.

So why not spend a few moments thinking about a new and bold promise that would really matter to the customers you have the privilege to serve. Then follow it up with a very creative and engaging way to solve it that gets their attention and inspires them to want to know more. After all, a big part of marketing and business success is the act of starting a conversation.

We win in business and in life when we get the attention of others. And when we use that attention to deliver on a promise that really matters.

Cheers!