The signs are everywhere...Literally!

Back in the day holding a sandwich board, like the guy in the picture, was a popular form of advertising. Well, it appears that it's back. I've been noticing it more and more as I drive down South Florida Ave - the main road through Lakeland - but today it really struck me. I really SAW what was going on.

If you read my post yesterday, I talked about how many business consultants focus on improving the business, or the Transaction, for the business they're consulting. They'll change pricing, or advertising, maybe renegotiate vendor contracts, and perhaps sell off portions of the company, and on and on and on. But what's missing?

The people.

They forgot about the #1 key to success which is serving the clients first and foremost. They forget that the human element of business is often the most overlooked, yet one of the most significant things in a business.

And so now driving past Pizza Hut, and the Cash for Gold place, and the pizza buffet place, and sandwich shops you see real, live people holding signs out front. Why are they doing this?

Because we all crave human interaction. Normal signs and billboards and bus benches are no longer seen like they used to be. We've had to revert back 50 years to people holding signs on the roadside just to get noticed. Everyone wants to be noticed but are they doing anything notice-worthy? Not really, no.

This form of advertising will be scrapped before you know it. They do, however, have something right...focus on the people.

It's all about the people.

Lemonade, Advertising and Bad Manners

Advertising has become like the ugly kid brother to marketing. You generally see advertising showing up and doing one of two things.

The first thing advertising does is like that obnoxious know-it-all kid. He's the one always saying, "HEY! Lookit me, look at what I can do! Watch me climb this tree, aren't I awesome?!"

No, you aren't. We call this kind of advertising "brand-building" or "brand awareness". What is it good for? Not much. It just lets you know that XYZ Company has truckloads of money and they'll spend it without discretion.

Cooool.

The other thing advertising does is much like the other kid running the lemonade stand. You know this kid. You may not be thirsty, the lemonade may taste like something the astronauts drank back in the 70's but you can guarantee you're not getting away without a cup of it. This is advertising whose sole intent is to sell you something. This describes most advertising.

But what about the third one?

"What third one?" you ask so intelligently... You ask because you don't see it very much. Kinda like you don't often see unicorns...

This type of advertising centers around communicating values. Beliefs. Reasons why.

Imagine seeing this:

Dear potential client,

We know this isn't slick, it isn't glossy and there are no talking animals to amuse you. We also realize that most of you will not appreciate this, understand this, or even read this - and that's okay. But there will be some of you that do. There will be some of you that resonate with what we're about to say and you'll actually do something. Not because we asked you to, not because you were induced by some shrieking pitchman, but because you believed what we said.

So here it goes. We care about you. So much so that we will tell if what you want to buy from us is right for you. And if it's not we'll kindly tell where you can find better value somewhere else. We plan on educating you and serving you prior to you buying anything from us because we believe in what we do and how we do it. We didn't get out of bed this morning to make money, we got out of bed thinking about you. We hope you're having a great day, by the way...

See the difference? Feel the difference?

Microwave Marketing

 



If you want this you can't have that. Life is a perpetual trade-off. And with the introduction of the microwave we were introduced to yet another one of these trade-offs. Fast versus tasty.

We may prefer tasty but we settle for fast.

A microwave meal may lack the taste of something that has been lovingly prepared for hours in a slow cooker or on the grill. But it's fast.

It may lack the forethought, the creative inspiration, and the complex combinations of herbs and spices that tickle the palate and induce groans of total culinary satisfaction. But it's fast.

It may reduce the time we spend thinking about quality ingredients that provide us nutrients, vitality, energy, and pleasure. But it's fast. 

The microwave has taught us terrible habits. And these habits are killing us and our businesses too. Wait, how does this affect our businesses?

Because we've begun thinking fast. We've begun thinking that marketing is advertising and nothing more. We've begun plotting how to make sales, meet quotas, and serve the shareholders rather than plotting on how to build lifelong relationships with our clients.

We've begun thinking about the quickest path to our success rather than the longer, more laborious path to building trust.

We build businesses like microwaves. We want the fastest way to a bad meal without making us actually do any work. This is why you call any large company and you get recorded robot voices telling you how much they care about you.

Liars. Stop advertising to me. Start serving me.

Oh, and to all you shareholders out there holding your little pieces of the pie - stop talking out of both sides of your mouth. You willingly push for short-term gain and ignore the long-term inevitability of hitting the iceberg and sinking. P/E ratios are less important than the philosophy of the company.

Deep down you know this. Start buying Crock Pots and get some time perspective.

Stop acting like a selfish 5 year-old - it's not all about you.