Up until 10 years ago, I didn’t think much about the truth as related to advertising or even our government. Looking back, I think I was like everyone else. I had a good job, lived comfortably and just kind of assumed that most people told the truth. Oh sure, things like Watergate and even Iran Contra would surface from time to time. But generally, I thought that most people were honest. Here’s how my perception of the truth changed dramatically.
In 1998 I really started to learn about truth in advertising. That’s the year that I started hosting a consumer radio program on an FM talk radio station in Dallas-Ft. Worth. The program consisted of paid advertiser interviews mixed with consumer news, research and tips. The program quickly established traction and became a significant driver of advertising revenue for the radio station. Advertisers were eager to have an opportunity to tell their story on-the-air and our client interviews were able to generate very healthy sales for sponsors. However, as host I had to know the absolute truth about an advertiser before I brought them on the air. Were they honest? Was their product or service of top quality? How about customer service? The truth became very important. Fortunately, we were able to develop a system to vet sponsors. As a result of the system, we’ve had an opportunity to identify and interview a number of high integrity business leaders who genuinely care about their customer. Our vetting system has also shined a bright light on a surprisingly high number of businesses that were not concerned with the consumer.
Currently on CBS Radio’s KRLD, The Consumer Team is one of the most listened to weekly consumer programs in the US. And our roster of sponsors is outstanding. We continue to be very selective of the sponsors we invite to join ‘the team’. As the result, we’ve built a very strong trust with the audience on this huge news-talk station in Dallas-Ft. Worth.
My quest for the truth has also impacted to my advertising firm, McQ Media. Because we use The Consumer Team model for vetting new clients for the agency, we gravitate to businesses that are committed to ‘best in category’ products, services and customers service. And like The Consumer Team, we regularly turn down opportunities for highly profitable projects because we’re unwilling to represent companies and people we don’t believe in. Although this quality control was financially challenging during our start-up months, it’s paid off tremendously both in client quality, agency growth and in morale within our company. Our McQ Media clients seem to sense that we’re selective too. As one client commented to me shortly after we opened our doors, “Your discriminating standards will be rewarded.”
My latest focus on my journey of truth has been American and world history. The results of my research have been chilling. Below the surface of the typical text books and mainstream media, there is an ugly and brutal reality to both US and world history. As it turns out, much of history taught in our schools is a lie, or at best, incomplete. The stories have been changed to produce the desired spin. In some cases, the truth has been covered up so well that even historians miss the truth. Some of the more troubling truths that I’ve discovered recently:
The Formation of The Federal Reserve: G. Edward Griffin’s book “The Creature from Jekyll Island” peels back the onion on the birth of America’s banking system. From its dubious ties to European system, the big banks of America have stacked the deck against their competition as well as the American taxpayers. This book illustrates how a lie can be successfully sold to Americans.
The Kennedy Assassination: If one objectively reviews the evidence, it’s clear that the ‘conspiracy nuts’ aren’t quite so crazy after all. There’s just too much credible evidence to ignore. Thanks to the work of Gaeton Fonzi, Mark Lane and Peter Janney and others, the assassination and the subsequent cover up have been thoroughly exposed.
Media News Corruption: Corruption in media goes way back in our nation’s history and well beyond the current left-leaning network news organizations. In the early 1900s, America’s major newspapers were largely controlled by industrial giants who used their platform to publish less-than-truthful news coverage to mold public opinion to be in favor of key initiatives, including The Federal Reserve. In the 1950s, the CIA sponsored “Operation Mockingbird” had a significant number of journalists, including some of the nation’s most important media personalities, on their payroll to sell their spin to the American people.
Vietnam & Other War Spin: With assistance from media, spin has been exceedingly strategic when it comes to what we’ve been told about wars. From the sinking of the Lusitania to just about every war we’ve fought, manipulation of facts have been central to how we’ve been sold.
The CIA: Nobody’s better at spin and lying than the CIA. After going ‘rogue’ starting in President Eisenhower’s administration, this organization has become the largest threat to our democracy. Other than the Federal Reserve issue, each of the areas I’ve cited above have been heavily influenced by the CIA. And, had they been around in 1911 when The Fed was formed, I’m certain they would have found a sinister way to participate in the scam.
Now What?
Similar to what my fellow baby-boomers are experiencing, time is becoming more and more defined for me every day. With the time I have left, I feel a calling to help others understand not only the lies that come from advertising and marketing but also the scams that have been sold to us by our leaders. I’m ‘bright average’ but because I was comfortable and making a good living, I had my head buried in the sand regarding the lies and deception. As Ben Franklin put it, “It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins”.
Well, I’m awake now, and am searching for the truth. Stay tuned.
President/CEO – McQ Media
