"When all else fails, try the Truth"

I saw a wonderful film the other day called "The Audition" . It was about contestants in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. At the end of the film, when asked for the most important advice for young opera singers, one veteran star said "Say what you mean and mean what you say".

I thought it was ironic that an opera singer would provide the same coaching advice as we do in the communications realm. Our version is a little more tongue-in-cheek: "When all else fails, try the truth."

Of course, what we really mean is "start with the truth". But that's not as provocative. Either way, its an important perspective. We are in the business of managing perceptions and have always believed that the market always figures out the truth. This is ever more the case today, when all communications are "transparent" and the data is available easily.

This, of course, does not mean that you just spit stuff out. As we have said many times, start with a clear idea of your goals and messages and provide information both within this context and clearly explained.

But, at the end of the day, the truth wins out. So, start there!