Hasta La Creative!

It’s not the crime, it’s the cover up. This old saying, most often associated with political scandals, applies to branding, too, according to a new report.

Consumers are far more likely to punish companies for lying than anything else, according to the report by research company Morning Consult that examines how a range of brand controversies affect consumer opinion. The worst offense is lying to customers in order to increase profits, with 71 percent of respondents saying they would feel much less favorable about a company doing that, according to the report.

But outspoken CEOs can breathe a sigh of relief: The report finds that only 15 percent of consumers would hold it against a company if their CEO “said something rude about people who share your political beliefs.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com