We’re developing and sourcing promotional products in the warning age. Warnings are everywhere. If you ship into the state of California, then you know all about Prop65:
“WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.”
The problem is now the number of chemicals that require use of this warning label on goods in California is well over 800. Whether you are eating, smoking, driving a car, or even using a power tool, consider yourself warned. But as a recent article in the Harvard Business Review points out, the warnings aren’t working. “The problem with our present warning system is that it shouts ‘Danger!’ for both wolves and puppies. Such a system is of little value; people quickly learn to ignore warnings since they encounter vastly more puppies than wolves. The result is that when a wolf is truly present, people pay little heed.” The U.S. warning-label system “fails miserably at distinguishing between large and small risks.”
Think about it for a minute: Because you see SO MANY warning labels, have you begun to simply disregard them? Do you consider whether a warning is one of legitimate risk to you, or something meant to simply avoid future legal risk to the manufacturer? W. Kip Viscusi, a professor of law, economics and management at Vanderbilt, and co-author of the Harvard Business Review paper, says “U.S. companies err on the side of caution by ‘overwarning’ of every possible risk or side effect as a legal precaution. By including all potential dangers, regardless of how remote or silly, corporate lawyers figure that aggrieved customers will have no room for litigation.”
Warning labels have been part of our consumer lives for a long time. The Federal Caustic Poison Act was adopted in 1927. Safety labels for food and drugs came in the 1930s, and cigarette warnings started in the mid-1960s. So, what can make warning labels work better? For starters, labels on products with minimum risk need to be cut way back, so that all risk levels are not lumped together. The HBR article suggests “warnings should be worded so that consumers can at least roughly estimate the actual risk… given how each product is typically used.”
How about you, have you given advice to end-users about the appropriate warning labels on product you’re sourcing for them? Is it because the item has legitimate safety concerns, or just an effort to cover the bases? Think about that puppy. Yes, he might nip at your hand, but it is highly unlikely that you will suffer significant injury.
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for more than 35 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He recently retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. As a recovering end-user client, he can’t help but continue to consult Fortune 500 consumer brands on promo product safety when asked. You can also find him working as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem, traveling the world with his lovely wife, or enjoying a cigar at his favorite local cigar shop. Follow Jeff on Twitter, or reach out to him at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.