Would you believe it, honesty is now considered a niche service and strategy implemented by the leading (and soon to be leading) businesses.

Consumers and clients have been "once bitten twice shy" so to speak, with the level of trust depleting by the minute with false claims, tricky marketing and sneaky sales strategies.

The most common form of dishonesty in the world of business is deception and thanks to the Shonky Awards by CHOICE, we are made aware of just a fraction of these cases.

A very public example was Nurofen who used the exact same product – a pain killer, packaged them differently according to the type of pain giving the impression you need that pain killer specifically for that pain. Although they went a step further and charged more for some than others. People were then purchasing a packet for headaches, migraine, back etc when they could have purchased the cheapest one all along for everything.

A tragic but real example of a brand who manipulated the trust they had built with their market and profited via deceit.

Do not fret. There is still hope. I recently heard Michelle Ahern who previously held the position of the Brand & Marketing specialist for The Wiggles when they first started. Put simply and frequently, Michelle often mentioned that "honesty is the best policy" when dealing with business and especially when communicating a brand.

A perfect example of this was when the original "yellow Wiggle" had to leave due to illness. Everyone seemed to be in a panic and weren’t sure what to do or say. Michelle reiterated her honesty policy and said "just tell the truth and people will understand" and they did. We all know how successful the Wiggles became. Enough said.

Of course, a nice contrast has been when the original yellow Wiggle recently returned, kicking out the substitute Wiggle. Michelle had moved on the GWS Giants by then, sharing her wisdom and it look as though The Wiggles were left a little lost. With a lack of transparency and honesty, The Wiggles went public with different stories, all of which made the "brand" look nasty, cold and cruel towards the stand in yellow Wiggle. If only they were honest, that is, the original Wiggle was well enough and wanted to come back.

So how are you going with your business and "honesty is the best policy"? Has it worked for you?

Feel free to let me know your experiences.