Would I Lie to You?

Memo to crisis-management teams: Get out the 8x10 glossies of company executives and start sorting. An article in the current issue of the Journal of Consumer Research says the face (literally) a company presents when it's in trouble can make a difference. Dealing with a claim of corporate dishonesty? Bring out a spokesperson with a baby face (large eyes, small nose, high forehead, small chin). In experiments with 500 students, researchers found that such a face—unconsciously associated with innocence—helps win people over. Under attack for incompetency or lack of vigilance? Go with a mature-faced rep to project prudence and wisdom. "If you understand these things, you can send out the right person in the right situation," says Columbia Business School marketing professor Gita Johar, one of the study's three authors. Johar cautions, however, that when a crisis is serious, that carefully chosen countenance eventually becomes irrelevant. "After some point, it loses its effectiveness," she acknowledges.
—Michael Orey..