When "Meaty" Doesn't Mean Meaty: A Lesson in False Advertising

What have I learned this week?

I've learned that apparently cheese and prawns are now classified as meat. Who knew? 🤔

Let me explain.

Walkers 'Meaty' variety box

I was doing the weekly shop and came across this box of Walkers crisps. Big, bold letters across the top: "20 MEATY". Great! I thought. Perfect for snacking, and who doesn't love variety?

Except when I looked a bit closer, the 'meaty' selection includes:

• 5x Roast Chicken (yep, that's meat)

• 5x Smoky Bacon (also meat, tick)

• 5x Prawn Cocktail (wait, what?)

• 5x Cheese & Onion (excuse me?)

Walkers 'Meaty' variety box - the small print!

Now I'm no marketing genius, but I'm pretty sure prawns are seafood and cheese is... well, cheese. Neither of which can reasonably be called meat by anyone who hasn't completely lost the plot!

So what's going on here?

This is a classic example of what I'd call 'aspirational advertising' - or to be less charitable, misleading packaging. The word "MEATY" is doing a lot of heavy lifting on that box, and it's not being entirely honest about what's inside.

Sure, they've listed the flavours underneath. And yes, technically they're not saying "all meat flavours". But come on Walkers, you know exactly what you're doing. You're banking on busy shoppers seeing "MEATY" and assuming that's what they're getting.

It's the supermarket equivalent of setting up an auto-alert for "new office space" and not bothering to check whether it's actually a spare bedroom 😉

Why does this matter?

Because trust matters. Whether you're flogging crisps or offering business services, if your marketing promises one thing and delivers something else, people notice. And they remember.

In Walkers' case it's annoying but hardly the end of the world. I'll live with the fact that I've got prawn-flavoured crisps masquerading as meat (although I'm fairly certain they stick those in the variety boxes because who would buy them otherwise?). But for small businesses trying to build a reputation? This sort of thing can be fatal.

If your product description, your social media posts, or your website copy creates an expectation that you can't meet, you're setting yourself up for disappointed customers. And disappointed customers don't come back.

The lesson?

Be honest in your marketing. If your product or service does what it says on the tin (or box), shout about it! But don't dress it up as something it's not just to make the sale.

Your customers aren't stupid. They'll figure it out eventually. And when they do, you'll have lost their trust - and probably their business too.

So Walkers, if you're reading this: either ditch the "MEATY" claim or swap out the cheese and prawns for some actual meat flavours. Because right now you're selling a variety pack, not a meaty one.