Thought for today
My thought for today is slightly sinical. It’s actually very simple. You ready for it?
Don’t market stupid products or ideas. Let them go! Far too often I see, hear and experience marketing that is nothing short of blatant gimmick. Why? People get caught on an idea or a product or a service that really has no place in any current markets. But they’re stuck. They can’t get past that idea. They think that they are going to “hit it big with this one!”
So – what do they do? They go to an Advertising Agency or a Branding Agency much like the one that I am currently employed by and share the idea or whatever the case is. 9 times out of 10 the Agency will encourage the person/company to explore filling their heads with promises of Brand growth and Market placement and do it all with excitement. What’s not to be excited about? This person/company is about to spend a lot of money to Brand this idea and push it to the limits. “We’re gonna hit it big with this one!”
The sad truth is that 9 times out of 10 they will not “hit it big with this one.” Matter of fact (this is the sinical part) they’ll more than likely spend their life savings or entire business loans or entire investors bank roll trying to make it work. All the while the Agency keeps the promises and dreams alive. More than likely executing decent work for the person/company, but never telling them that their idea will not work. Instead, they come up with little gingles for radio ads. Over designed billboards with no real message. Top shelf magazine spreads that people quickly flip past. All cheap solutions. Ha!
You want to get some attention? You want to get some public interest in your product or idea? You want to send a message to people that they just can’t ignore? Here it is. Here is the solution. Get involved with or develop something that isn’t a gimmick. Put something out there that will make life easier for the masses. Or something that the kids (the kids of today — not the kids of your era) will not be able to live without. Something that doesn’t suck.
And if you have already have your widget and want more people to buy it. Or you want sales to increase and get more public awareness. Or if you just want there to be more hype on your idea/product/service. Give people incentive. Give them a reason to respond. A discount. A free trial. A promotion. Something.
I just get tired of hearing and seeing and experiencing advertising for things that suck. I get tired of hearing radio ads that try and sell me something I don’t need by singing about them. I get tired of seeing bus stop signs that I can’t read from 12 feet away and even I could read it, it would be for something stupid that sucks. I get tired of seeing billboards on the freeway with paragraphs of text on them.
Dumb advertising for dumb products/services is dumb. Don’t market stupid products or ideas.