Making people and ideas findable
Screw Your Average Marketing
Some say the age of original thought is dead. We are all building off the ideas and inspirations of thought leaders from the past. I happen to agree with this notion and don't find a thing wrong thing it. Seth Godin has been someone I have followed religiously since I first stumbled across his books in college. I am happy to build off his ideas and create the concepts of new marketing.
Seth has always talked about the value of story-based marketing. He is a huge advocate against mindless marketing with huge budgets... trying to cram an idea down a consumer's throat. I happen to agree completely with him.
I have come across countless posts that hail the death of traditional marketing because of the advent of social media. "The consumers are now in control," they say, "You can't succeed with direct mail and billboard advertising." To that I say.. bull crap.
There is something dying... slowly but surely.. something that has come to signify an era of mindless marketing and huge advertising budgets: average.. thoughtless marketing.
There was a time when you could create a sale or superior product and market it to the masses. You could spend untold amounts of money pushing a message to a consumer base that bought it.. hook.. line.. and sinker.
The death of average marketing happened because communication has changed between the brand and the consumer. It is true that the consumer is now in control. Zappos and Starbucks created a force not because they are superior products or they had huge marketing campaigns. They created a story. Consumers fell in love with the story and seized the opportunity to build a brand they believed in.
You can market your product or service under the guise of customer service or a 20% off sale but the truth of the system is this...
Consumers don't buy it. They want to be inspired. They want to feel the need to experience something that will change the way they live, work, and play. The next time you decide to send out a direct mail, buy a billboard, or invest in pay-per-click advertising remember that if you do not tell a story... if you do not invest time, energy, and resources into creating that story...
You have joined the rank and file of terrible... average... and boring marketing. To that I say.. screw your average marketing and create something that lasts.
Seth has always talked about the value of story-based marketing. He is a huge advocate against mindless marketing with huge budgets... trying to cram an idea down a consumer's throat. I happen to agree completely with him.
I have come across countless posts that hail the death of traditional marketing because of the advent of social media. "The consumers are now in control," they say, "You can't succeed with direct mail and billboard advertising." To that I say.. bull crap.
There is something dying... slowly but surely.. something that has come to signify an era of mindless marketing and huge advertising budgets: average.. thoughtless marketing.
There was a time when you could create a sale or superior product and market it to the masses. You could spend untold amounts of money pushing a message to a consumer base that bought it.. hook.. line.. and sinker.
The death of average marketing happened because communication has changed between the brand and the consumer. It is true that the consumer is now in control. Zappos and Starbucks created a force not because they are superior products or they had huge marketing campaigns. They created a story. Consumers fell in love with the story and seized the opportunity to build a brand they believed in.
You can market your product or service under the guise of customer service or a 20% off sale but the truth of the system is this...
Consumers don't buy it. They want to be inspired. They want to feel the need to experience something that will change the way they live, work, and play. The next time you decide to send out a direct mail, buy a billboard, or invest in pay-per-click advertising remember that if you do not tell a story... if you do not invest time, energy, and resources into creating that story...
You have joined the rank and file of terrible... average... and boring marketing. To that I say.. screw your average marketing and create something that lasts.
Comment
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Comment by PK Koduri on May 13, 2009 at 1:21pm -
@David Mark
My experience has been the following: Most corporate marketing campaigns are driven top down. The CEO latches onto some new idea or success story and insists that they do the same. Take the example of Pepsi's now notorious logo redesign. The CEO is quoted in the Business Week article saying something like - "I want it to be simple and clean - like the IPOD". I will bet you anything you will hear the same thing in 1000 other boardroom meetings. So instead of understanding what resonates with the consumer in the soft-drink category the team is busy trying to copy Apple. Now when was the last time a soft drink logo influenced your drink of choice?
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Comment by David Mark on May 13, 2009 at 1:02pm -
Well done! This message can't be promoted enough! It doesn't matter if it's from Godin or Lacy or the Cookie Monster. It's powerful. It's the truth! So, why do people still create average marketing initiatives? Does their ego get in the way of what's truly inspirational? Is inspirational subjective so much so that Mac (as a quick example only) gets it right and countless others (who think they get it) don't? I'd love to be in the head of the boring marketer and then I'd like to jump into the head of those who inspire globally.
It's like jumping from the arctic ocean straight into a hot, bubbly jacuzzi with the Girls Next Door, or w/ Hugh Jackman (depending on what team your batting for!) while inking a deal with Trump, scheduling your segement on Oprah and taking a call from Obama's camp because they like your ideas on world peace. One's a very, very cold and stupid idea while the other is brilliant!
Please, for the sake of everything dignifying and bold, tell me why this is so. I'd ask a boring marketer, but nobody admits they're boring. ;)
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Comment by Andrew Angle on May 13, 2009 at 10:14am -
Well said, Kyle. You're always delivering a tight message.
The birth of new marketing technology has given sellers better ways to deliver practical value in their messages. We still hear those radio commercials with spokespersons rapid-firing phone number in our ears 3 or 4 times as if they actually expect listeners to remember the digits long enough to call. It misses the point and wastes the listener's time. (Shut UP already!!!) Now the ad radio jocks can rattle off a memorable domain name that gives consumers a word that sticks in the consumer's noggin, creating a kind of repetition in the buyer's brain long enough to dig deeper into the marketer's message before spending money. Often they spend more. It's extra channels on a bonus medium. One leads to the other, more effectively tipping the fickle consumer's scale towards finally taking action, and helping deflate buyer's remorse through being more educated about their decision before reaching for the wallet.
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Comment by Justin Bryant on May 13, 2009 at 9:15am - Did I tell you all this Kyle? :)
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Comment by Kyle Lacy on May 12, 2009 at 1:37pm -
@PK Amen man. Amen. Couldn't have said it better myself.
Brands and the lifestyle of the consumer is no longer separate but one. The sooner businesses realize this... the better.
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Comment by Daniel Herndon on May 12, 2009 at 1:29pm -
Kyle, I am standing in my office right now clapping. You are currently receiving a standing ovation complete with watering eyes. It seems that one group tries to discount the traditional side of marketing as worthless and the other group clutters it with blankets of mindless ad placement.
A few rise to the top and embrace their customer and say "how will I reach them? and Why will they be loyal to me? Where does our brand and their lifestyle meet?" and they find out how to connect these dots and tell this story (of which the consumer is a star). Starbucks did not use TV commercials, Mac did and they both had much success with it. This due to thoughtful marketing and careful use of multiple tools.
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Comment by PK Koduri on May 12, 2009 at 12:01pm
- I wasn't slamming Seth BTW - I couldn't hold a candle to him! I just get frustrated when people throw basics out the window because some consultant came up with a shiny new method. Same goes for metrics - it is hard to measure social media impact but not impossible!
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Comment by Kyle Lacy on May 12, 2009 at 11:20am
- The beauty of it.. is that the 4 or 6 Ps will always apply.. no matter what.
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Comment by PK Koduri on May 12, 2009 at 11:06am
- IMHO marketing gurus try to fit an explanation to a success story after the fact just like the economists do with recessions. Could Seth Godin have come up with what service model Zappos should have used - very unlikely. I think companies that do what is right by putting themselves in their customer's shoes are the ones that will succeed. Don't know about inspiration but I do pay attention to products that delight and deliver on their promise all at a price that I can afford - sounds like the 4 Ps to me :-)
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1. Please use your real name (first and last) when you sign up, or we cannot open your account
2. Please do not use logos or commercial images for your profile photo
3. Events should be posted in the events calendar
4. You can post pretty much anything you want on your own personal page (self promotion, etc), and you can change the style of your personal profile page to reflect your corporate identification if you so choose.
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6. Smaller Indiana is supported by its members, and by corporate sponsors. If you're interested in learning more about sponsorship, please call Pat Coyle at 317 332 7878.
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