Uwe Hook: Problem is, marketers are getting paid to talk. In these times, we should get paid to listen.
What a great turn of phrase. Too bad it isn’t exactly true. Fact is, marketing is more and more about getting permission to build a relationship with the customer. And it seems like it is becoming harder to get that permission without the promise of some benefit to the customer up front. A “free” t-shirt, mug, key chain, or whatever is not literally free–the marketer is paying you in advance for the chance to sell you their product.
A drawing entry for an expense paid vacation is still a promotion that generates leads for travel agencies. But it’s a promotion that many people shy away from now because of they are concerned about identity-theft. Passive ads, like billboards or TV commercials, still work but they’re far less targeted and therefore less effective for the advertising dollar. Scrapbook-Quotes.com uses Google Adsense, which is targeted to the content of the site (and therefore our client/readers), but for the most part, it’s also passive advertising.
Promotional products and advertising specialties is one of the largest advertising industries in America today because they’re affordable, they’re targeted, and they’re effective. It’s an active form of advertising because it engages the potential customer and helps begin the relationship that allows the marketing message through the thousands of other ads that compete for attention.
It’s true that marketers are paid to talk, and increasingly they’re also paying you to listen.
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