The problem with the latest
September 12th, 2007Most marketers love the latest idea, strategy or tool. Yes, you too I suspect. There is a good reason for it, we are constantly looking for a competitive edge, either for our company or for our clients. Agencies and consultants are hired for their expertise, their ideas and their ability to execute after all.
The problem is the silver bullet syndrome. Something new comes along (CRM, email marketing, social media marketing; you fill in the rest) and suddenly this is the panacea to all marketing problems. So everyone is an instant expert and the currency of the latest idea quickly devalues to the latest fad.
Spike Jones from Brains On Fire laments the fact that Word of Mouth Marketing is going that way:
I’m over it (the term, not the practice). And I guess I knew it would happen sooner or later: every marketer in the free world is either trying to give advice on word of mouth marketing or says that they are practicing it. From big ad agencies to the guy working out of his garage.
I don’t buy it.
And a bit further down:
The words “word of mouth marketing” are becoming watered-down and sucked into the vast nothingness that is marketing-speak. And while it saddens me, I guess it was to be expected.
Word of Mouth is not new of course. Cavemen used it I’m sure. But talking about Word of Mouth marketing makes you sound as though you are in touch with the latest. Actually making it work for a client is a very different story of course. “Because big ideas are easy doing stuff is hard”.
So in time, everyone moves on to the next silver bullet and the people who actually execute something like a word of mouth campaign do what they have always done; make sure their clients talk about the results they have achieved. Sounds like word of mouth.
September 12th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Amen! I believe the latest fads, trends or movements in any profession (marketing included) are invented by people who need to invent something new so they can be expert in it. Very few new things rise out of new, fresh insights.
CRM, buzz, social networking, mobile marketing, guerilla marketing…all of them were nothing new. They just needed someone to make up a new term so they could sound like an expert when they explain what old concept has been repackaged.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Hi Dave, thanks for dropping by. The challenge is getting it to work and deliver results, isn’t it. Not just being an expert in it.
September 12th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Never heard the term ‘Silver Bullet’ before, but I have to say I like it. In fact I may well use it at a meeting I have scheduled in the morning.
September 13th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Amen, again, to the notion that “doing stuff” is much more critical than having a “big idea.” Several breweries introduced low-cal beer before Miller Lite got the entire business model right — product name, pricing, advertising, endorsements, formulation, distribution, product quality, taste, etc. There is a company right now dealing with a 21st century version — Aircell installs the equipment in commercial airliners to allow road warriors to use wifi enroute to surf the net and do emails. The genius is NOT in the idea — it doesn’t take an Einsteing to realize that lots of people would like to go online while in the air. The success or failure of Aircell will depend on whether they can get the model right — stable technology at a price travelers are willing to pay that also leaves dollars for the airline, the cell carriers on the ground, etc., and enough proift for Aircell to pay off the huge development and installation costs. I think Aircell will be successful, but I just one person — THEY have to “do stuff” to make it happen.
September 13th, 2007 at 8:52 am
@Stan - ah, the only bullet that can kill Count Dracula:)
September 13th, 2007 at 8:58 am
@John - great examples John. I had a client that has a sticker on her laptop that said something like: “Those who execute better win”. I like that.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:33 am
I thought the Silver Bullet was what worked on Werewolves. Shows you what I know.
I think we definitely get too busy marketing Marketing. I get so overwhelmed with the onslaught of new tactics and tools that I never use any of them, cuz I think “the latest” makes all the rest obsolete. But it doesn’t. What works is what you’ll actually implement and have confidence in. Traditional advertising still works in some instances. WOM still works in some instances. Everything has its place, and every marketer has their preference.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
@Brett - you are right about the werewolf - I should have done a quick Google search! Shows you how much you do know.
On that note, I like what you said about traditional advertising and WOM - of course it has it’s place and as long as a marketer is driven by outcomes, not ego (i.e. showing off how up-to-date they are) they will pick what has either the best chance of success or the runs on the board. Simple. Look at direct mail. That is still a very powerful tool, especially in B2B in the right setting and the right mix. It’s not either or, is it?
Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the conversation.
September 18th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
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