WTF Is A Marketing Campaign On Social Media? Seriously. I find myself shaking my head when I hear brands trying to overtly sell shit on social media. Sure, #SocialMedia does have a purpose for allowing you the opportunity to sell, but you have to EARN the right to sell to your audience.
Over the last week, I can’t count the number of times that people have used the term “Barry’s Way”. Trust me, it’s not MY way. It’s the nature of the business that we’re in. The times have changed and it’s time that we begin communicating this message to our clients.
I am going to make sure that the clientele that I work with, know with great certainty, that they have invested in truth. As a part of every scope of work that will go out or be re-written, will be en educational component for the brand.
I sense that the brands don’t believe a lot of ad agency people. That may be as simple as the brands not seeing true social thought leadership. I can surely see why they might think that.
Here’s the deal. It’s going to be an uphill battle, but it’s my job to convince brand managers that the way they envision and utilize social is like traveling in a horse and buggy.
Here’s a question for each that I’m going to be posing to a few people this week. I’m sure I’ll get number of “deer-in-the-headlight” reactions. So here are just a few of the questions I’ll be asking: When was the last time that you know of, that anyone has sat down with any of your clients and discussed new technologies, transmedia storytelling, content curation and quantified it with verifiable support data that underscores positioning?
I’m betting I’ll hear a lot of crickets. You ask why? Well many people I speak to in ad agencies who are charged with community management refer to community management like it’s akin to working the drive-thru window and McDonald’s. They say things like engaging with consumers “isn’t what they were hired to do“.
So I have a question to these advertising miscreants. What did you think when you took a job at an advertising agency? You did have an idea that advertising is a living organism didn’t you? You did see, TIVO and DVR’s and Twitter..etc blowing up didn’t you? You did know that traditional marketing has been hobbling and declining in effectiveness didn’t you?
So if you did, what did you think the evolution was going to be? And if you didn’t think…then perhaps you may have been walking around with blinders on and not agency material to begin with.
Traditional marketing is dying. I didn’t kill it. It was wounded by the consumer. The consumer is not having it anymore. So the next time some brand manager somewhere talks to you a bout a marketing calendar or some stupid, social campaign, have them read this. Maybe a cold dose of honesty could bolster your career.
It might just save you some time and who knows, God forbid you actually look credible and trustworthy in your job.
Or was being a good steward to your client, something that you “didn’t sign up for”? Get friggin real people.
Marketing has forever changed. Get on board the train or have the decency to lie down in front of it.
Think I’m crazy? Of course you do. But I’m far from being alone in this ideology of where we are in a socially relevant world.
