We all know that everyone makes mistakes. Try as we might, it’s inevitable. In my own personal crusade to avoid this, there’s one major rule I always try to follow: PROOF YOUR WORK. TWICE. AT LEAST.

This could mean anything from saying a new catchphrase aloud, printing out an ad to make sure it looks right before sending it off, or re-reading copy for a radio spot.

Here’s why:

Exhibit A – “Be Our C-Man Friend!”

(If you haven’t done it already, just try saying this out loud. Seriously, do it. Right now. Sounds kind of dirty, doesn’t it?)

The simple act of uttering a new catchphrase out loud could have prevented this unfortunate branding guffaw at the Common Man Restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Common Man – they have amazing food and a great atmosphere – but I just cannot bear to read their menu.

Not long ago, a couple friends and I stopped by the Concord store for dinner. All was well and good until we got to the dessert menu. One of them started to read the menu aloud and my other friend and I were convinced he was joking around. When we realized he was not, we were horrified!

This is what he read:

“Homemade white chocolate brownie heated and topped with C-Man made vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream.”

Doesn’t sound very appetizing now does it?

To make matters worse, they appear to have gone gung-ho with their new branded image. They have “C-Man” everything: C-man made ice cream, C-man made Root beer, C-man made béarnaise sauce – even their website is www.theCman.com.

Running the new brand name by a few people first (or let’s face it – simply saying out loud) might have prevented them from having a domain name that could just as easily double as a porn site!