Would you find this advert endearing and effective or a bit cringeworthy and too personal?

[bakingbaker]

What would you think if you saw a baker advertise his products on FB or Instagram by talking about their struggles, how they stay out in the cold until they've sold everything, dropped out their high paying career, how they pull constant all nighters or how they still managed to deliver your box out of A and E after a car crash.

Would you think it is a good strategy or would you think it's a bit too much?

More specifically what would you think of a post like this? Would you post it or leave it?

"I deliver my cakes by hand. 10 on my arms, 10 on my shoulders, 10 on my back. My philosophy is that if we avoid getting tired, we cannot appreciate a night's rest. If we keep taking it easy, we cannot truly appreciate a glass of water or a hot meal. These are the little joys which make life worth living for me. I do not want it easy!"

or, a bit more personal:

"This business was meant to be co-run by two people - my ex-partner and I. I spent 2 years building up our bakery to the point that I was ready to share the journey with someone. So I rebranded for a fresh start for us this year. But they and I had different visions. I wanted to continue improving my baking, keep prices the same and pay myself the minimum salary while reinvesting most of the revenue back into my business. My partner prioritised delegating the workload to staff, increasing profits and cashing out. This isn't wrong in and of itself but my heart disagreed. It didn't make sense to harvest the first fruits when I could wait and harvest the whole rainforest. There is so much growth still left.

I've faced some tough choices on my journey. With the time commitments, I had to choose between my friends or my small business. Next it was my job or my small business. After that my academics or my small business. But this one really stopped me in my tracks: my partner or my small business. Do I love my business enough that I'd give up a future with someone? The double workload combined with the breakup left me empty. I needed to channel the negative energy into something positive.

This journey has taught me that nothing will happen unless you make it happen."

Thank you for your opinion

If you're begging 2/3 times a month I would think your cakes are bad.

A good baker doesn't need to beg for sales.

Please don’t post stuff like this on your socials - it makes it sound like your business is failing and people will assume the real reason is down to the product you’re selling.

be positive, upbeat, post pictures of delicious things, fun reels of the baking process, different flavours, polls for new flavours, get testimonials. Get customers sharing you on social media too.

do not post about journeying through a rainforest nobody wants to hear it and you’ll actively be turning people off.

@bakingbaker I'm interested to know if the feedback here has made you reconsider your marketing approach?

a van would be easier
Too true.
I bloody hate all this pity me/I'm a victim nonsense. To echo everyone else - it's a no from me.

I would like to see a picture of the 40 cakes being delivered by hand. And I'm also wondering how many customers the OP has within walking distance.

I know this sounds cruel but I have "sad selfie" fatigue. Its plastered all over LinkedIn. People taking photos of themselves crying (why?) and then banging on about their "journey" as if it was harder than anyone else's.....

I get it's been tough. But most people have faced a "journey" of some type. Life is not easy and that's a fact.

Just let people buy cake in peace!

Yes I think we need a diagram. Are the 10 on the shoulders divided into two lots of 5? Are the canes adequately protected from bodily fluids ie sweat.

No thank you. It’s not X Factor, we don’t want to hear you emoting.

This.
The mere mention of “journey” I switch off.

I am picturing either a) a garment with modified sleeves, each of the ten brownies with its own built-in fabric ‘shelf’, or b) some sort of milkmaids yoke arrangement, with dangling baskets for each.

But it’s all moot: they won’t sell because they are flavoured with righteousness and hurt, and would turn to bitter dust in the mouth.

I’d prefer it if they were delivered in flat boxes from a van - surely you have wastage from damage if they don’t stay upright and get jiggled about during your hand delivery? And how will you grow your business if you’re limited to only delivering within walking distance and how much you can carry? It just sounds like a vanity project which is more about you than your business.

The rest is delivered by post
This is for customers who live locally

No matter how delicious the cakes, I’d be really put off by the marketing approach. Cake should make you think of happy things.

is this actually your business then OP? Are you making these sad posts 3 times a month? Or are you talking about someone else’s business?

Feel free to talk about how passionate you are, how by buying you're supporting a small business and your pride in high quality products without cutting corners. But leave out the personal stuff.

I had a postal brownie business whilst I was on furlough and mostly focused on the fact there was over half a kilo of chocolate in each 9" box.

They are surprisingly hardy because they fit tightly in the box so if they can go by post, they wouldn't come to any harm in a pizza style delivery bag!

Both of them are ghastly hyperbolic nonsense and sound a bit unhinged. It just reads like something people pass around on Facebook or a scam bot would post under an Instagram post and not an advertorial for a business.

A sob story or flexing about one's hard times isn't the same as 'advertising'.

This is the way forward. I found people happy to pay for a hand made, high quality product.

Absolutely appalling, and deeply embarrassing. I wouldn't go near them no matter how good the cakes are.

As a consumer I'm not remotely interested in your life struggles or relationship failure, and tbh if you were posting "woe is me I'm so exhausted I have to pull all nighters and never rest" I'd just assume you were a poor business runner who is incapable of prioritising and delegation.

Even more reason not to buy, if I'm eating it I want it being made by someone capable and on the ball, not someone on their last thread of sanity bawling over the cake pans at 3am.

Honestly, I'd run the other way. And if this was in my feed two or three times a month, I'd block you.

Cake is about indulgence and escapism. Why on earth would I want it served with someone else's trauma and struggles?

Both examples are horribly self indulgent. Your publicity shouldn't be mawkish and all about you. It should be about your customers and your cakes. Cake should be sold cheerfully and happily

Genuinely I would think the person had MH issues that were coming across in their advertising.

Yes, I think I would too. And that's really off putting when you want to buy something to cheer you up.

This feedback must be hard reading but hopefully it’s also really helpful.

What’s going on with this thread? Who is that in the picture?

Are you the baker in question, looking for feedback on your marketing technique or are you someone looking to bash the competition? Initially, I thought you were wondering about the marketing strategy of a local business. The lift photo makes me wonder though. If it’s your business, fair enough, I’d definitely change your marketing approach. If it isn’t your business and you’ve attached a photo of the stranger/competitor, seeking criticism, it feels like a step too far.

Or is this some long game thirst trap thing (which would be even weirder, tbh) ?