A slow-paced, yet slightly upbeat piano melody floats from the speakers as background music for the latest corporate radio, or television commercial. The scripts all sound about the same, during this trying time, we are all in this together, we are here to help, we have already done so much, or a variation letting us know they support us during this pandemic. Is it just me or do they all sound the same?

Many businesses are doing a fine job of helping their customers and promoting relief efforts, while we figure out what our next step should be. How can we tell which business is trying to help, and which is trying to pull at our heartstrings? Without a lot of research, I don't think we can.

So what is the point? We have to rely on the same instinct our customers used when determining whether they should do business with us. What is the business's track record? Have they done what they said they would do in the past? Does their history reflect the sentiments in the commercial? If a business answers these questions to our satisfaction, then we can assume they are being genuine.

Isn't this true of all advertising? If we stay true to the core principles of our business, our ads are believable and more compelling. Our customers are less likely to question the veracity of our promotions if we stay true to the image created while building our business.

I lose interest and zone out when ads all sound the same. But there must be some method to their madness. If advertising gurus have determined that slow, slightly upbeat piano melodies sell more product, then cue the music.