The Big Marketing Fail

I spent the first 40 years of my life as a consumer. I either made decisions on purchases or I consumed things others decided for me. Like those crappy tasting pureed carrots from Gerber when I was 9 months old. I had jobs that paid well. I traveled for work. I consumed everything out there in some way or another. I am now 43. Most people in Marketing/Advertising who had a career in Marketing/Advertising who are 43 could easily have spent more than half their life either in School or working in the Industry.

As an outsider my view of Advertising/Marketing is much different than Sales which I have 14 years of work experience in, Advertising is very limited in it's scope/role but the Industry feels differently. They have spent decades convincing Brands how important they are in the role of the purchasing decisions. By doing this they over sell and under deliver. They also set themselves up for failure.

Advertising can make people aware of a product or service. Once someone tries the product, that is it. Job done. If the product sucks or perceived value is not there, no advertising can change that. The Brand can. They can reach out, give great customer service, fix quality issues. But Advertising can not fix that. The Vaunted Chrysler Superbowl Commercial did not change in my view that Chrysler cars fall apart and have horrible quality. It will take years of JD Powers rankings to fix this.

So my observations are that Advertising fails to ask people why and how they use devices and whether Advertising fits the way Consumers want to use devices vs how Advertisers believe the use them. Advertising likes to force their way in whether we like it or not.

1] People do not want ads online. They use the net to consume content/entertain, utility and work. They do not come online to consume Advertising. Trust me. I can find your brand online. I don't need your help. Caveat I do open some email fliers like Staples. But I personally block most  digital ad server ads because they do not bring me value.

2] People do not care about Brands via Social Media. We don't. Get over it. We use Social Media to connect with things we are passionate about. If we are passionate about a Brand off line we will engage via Social Online. But if we are not passionate about your Brand, Product, etc offline we don't give a flying pigs ass about you online. I have been bribed to Like a Brand on Facebook and after Payout Unliked.

I have said this many times. I need to Trade Mark this statement: Social Media is a Revolution of Interpersonal Communication Technology. Note Marketing is absent from that statement.

You want to get a big bang for Social Media in your company? Use it to improve your operations and communications. But if your view is to sell. You are choosing the lowest ROI Choice.

3] More Advertising more places is not the answer. That just enriches Media Buyers, Media Channels, and Ad Agencies. Stop invading everywhere my eyes look.

4] People do not want push advertising on their phones. They don't. It is an invasion of our privacy. We will consider value proposition call to actions where WE INITIATE CONTACT. But stay off my phone.