I was walking through Shubert Alley yesterday, and this caught me eye and made me chuckle:

Can we really expect a consumer to believe either of these things?  Especially when they are right next to each other?

Self-proclamations are fine.  I use them . . . judiciously.  It shows confidence.  It’s just believing in yourself, which every self-help book preaches, so why shouldn’t your business use the same principles? 

NBA players have to believe they are all as good as Michael Jordan when they step on the court.  Models have to believe they are the “hottest” when they walk down the runway.  So why shouldn’t shows believe it and shout it… when appropriate.

You have to be careful where and when you use such a proclamation.  If you do it and it doesn’t make sense to the consumer (“My blog is the best blog on the web!”), or when it’s in a cluttered environment (like the one above), you actually risk having the consumer discredit you and your product.

You know what the kicker of the above is?  Both shows are handled by the same advertising agency  . . . which is arguably “The Best Advertising Agency on Broadway!”

More on the issue of agencies tomorrow.