On a study related to marketing, packaging, and messaging quite some time ago, I discovered that the team was in Sally Field mode. They were just so gosh darn happy when consumers liked something. Not being on the design team, I had no horse in the race (and I wasn’t moderating) so I had the distance to see that what was liked was inconsistent among the consumers we were listening to. What was consistent were the elements that were ineffective. Likeable and ineffective are not antonyms, so where was effective?

Toyota’s “Saved by Zero” campaign is not likeable. In fact, there was talk of a guy filing a lawsuit because the ad was such an odious earworm that it was interfering with his life. But is it effective? Well, I have no idea how many Toyotas it sold, but I can still hear it in my head.

As you create messaging—or consider how to approach evaluating it qualitatively—think about how important likable really is for you. What about annoying but effective? Does it fit with your brand personality? Your strategy? Are you willing to risk a lawsuit from a tort-happy consumer if it cements your message in people’s heads? There’s no right or wrong answer, but not at least considering the difference between likeable and effective and how it relates to your objectives is definitely the wrong answer.