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"We tend to think of effectiveness as something we 'do' to people. But in fact it is who we 'are,' not what we do, that changes the world and the people around us."
—Lance Secretan
"Authentic" is derived from the Greek word for "original."
Pretending to be "authentic" by looking edgy or sounding sincere doesn’t mean your brand will be trusted.
You could be an original jerk.
By the standards of Q4 2010, being authentic means you stand for more than just profits.
Do you?
The truth of the matter: customers are more authentic—and more intelligent—than 99 percent of the marketers who target them.
So lying about your organization's values in your marketing messages doesn't help. It only worsens things.
You're not only a profiteer, you're a phoney profiteer.
Today I'm announcing Giveback 2010.
Under Giveback 2010, I’ll donate $2,010 in marketing services to any registered nonprofit devoted to increasing literacy, anywhere in the United States.
To claim the donation, an official of the nonprofit need only contact me and explain the nature of the project or projects wanted.
I can be reached at 202.537.1169 or bob@themightycopywriter.com.
Only one organization will receive the in-kind donation.
Giveback 2010 is my way of "giving back" and aiding the important cause of increased literacy in our nation.
The donation is restricted to the marketing services that I provide, which are described on my Website.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The mainstream media has surrendered all claims to serious journalism, as I noted in a recent post. (Coincidentally, that's the theme of a new movie, Morning Glory, which I highly recommend.)
Today's mainstream media news programs are entertainment vehicles.
Thirty years ago, the story was different. One example makes that clear.
- On August 16, 1977—the day Elvis Presley died—CBS Evening News opened with a seven-minute story about the Panama Canal, followed by a one-minute story about the King of Rock 'n Roll's death.
- On June 25, 2009—the day Michael Jackson died—CBS Evening News opened with an eight-minute story about the King of Pop's death. And for the next 13 days, CBS Evening News devoted more than two minutes of each broadcast to Jackson's demise.
The question for marketers: are you providing customers an entertainment vehicle?
Or are you marketing like it's 1977?
One-time association executive and part-time historian Tom Wheeler wrote a cool book a few years ago titled Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails: The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War.
It attributes the North's victory over the South to Lincoln's embrace of the telegraph, the "killer app" of the 1860s.
Lincoln, as history shows, was a super-skilled telegraph user, while his Rebel foes were, well, late adopters. (They were also late adopters of civil rights, but that's another story.)
Lincoln, Wheeler contends, took advantage of the real-time nature of the telegraph to direct the Yankees on the battlefield, enabling them to run circles around the Johnnies.
When Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails first hit the shelves, Twitter was only three months old, with hardly any users. But, had he foreseen its surge in popularity, I'm sure Wheeler would have agreed: Lincoln would have loved Twitter.
Of course, Lincoln couldn't have Tweeted top secret orders to his generals. But he could have used Twitter to rouse the troops who followed them.
It's easy to imagine some of the momentous microbursts that might have come from our most articulate president:
During the massive Union rout at First Bull Run. "Stop running! The Marine Corps Marathon is next week, you morons."
After the Union triumph at Gettysburg. "Rebs in full retreat. Stay tuned. Speech to follow."
After Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox. "Mission accomplished. Ulysses, you're doing a heck of a job!"
New Zealand-based writer and publicist Peter Heath has a compelling opinion piece in the new edition of IABC Communication World.
Heath argues that "serious-issue journalism" within the British Commonwealth's mainstream media has all but surrendered to "populism." TV news programs focus exclusively on trivia, while London’s The Times now resembles The Daily Mail.
What happened? Heath lays the blames on two doorsteps.
The rise of alternate news sources. "Serious-issue journalism (or at least detailed analysis and interpretation of the issues) is increasingly becoming the preserve of specialist outlets, driving mainstream media (print and broadcast) down the populist route."
The rise of "corporatespeak." In recent years, there's been "too little real and meaningful (for this, read “two-way”) engagement between organizations and the people important to them," according to Heath.
"We as communication practitioners need to be on top of these developments, not surprised by them," Heath warns. In fact, these two trends "should inform and shape the integrated communication programs we should be developing and managing for our employers and clients."
From a practical standpoint, what does Heath's advice mean for most marketers? I think it means:
- Forget the mainstream media. Unless you're promoting a luxury, a celebrity, a movie, an amusement ride or a sporting event, you won't earn coverage. Target your messages at the "specialists."
- Quit letting lawyers craft your messages. Unless you do, you'll never be "authentic." So you'll never be heard. Much less believed.
