The ad was rejected by Yahoo.

Why?

It lacked a disclaimer on the word “Free.”  That’s right.  They expected that the word could only be used with some sort of catch.

I tried to explain that we are truly free and get a sample disclaimer.  How can you disclaim something that’s true?

I’m leaning toward using “internet connection required” for our online ad.

It’s important to remember that as a business owner, you are a part of the representation of your brand.  There are restaurants that I no longer frequent because the owners were rude or arrogant to others even outside of the restaurant.  I’m sure that there are plenty of examples that anyone else can think of where a senior business person’s personal behavior affected your opinion of their products.

My simple rule of thumb is to assume that whatever you do gets published to the Yahoo homepage.  I used to use the newspaper, but they seem to lack the cultural relevance anymore.  That goes for everything from business deals to personal attitudes.  Consumers want to have a real relationship with their brands.  Make sure management behavior isn’t a reason they could choose to leave.  Living your brand is an important axiom.