New Adventures in Jackassery

It's always interesting hearing the traditional marketer (meaning traditional in MDS (media-dependency syndrome) and traditional in marketing values) who has begun learning some new technology.  It's kind of cute, really.  And it's obvious when their only intention is to take all their traditional model dogma and implant it into the new technology.  It's advertising 1.0 in a 2.0 world.

You'll know when you see these people because they may say any one of the following phrases:
    "I heard some guy talking about podcasting.  We should try that!!"
    "Can't we just play our regular TV spot on the internet?" 
    "I don't need to use it to market with it."

You get the point.  They get caught up with the fact that things are changing, but point the fingers straight at new technology, without realizing that it's not just the technology, it's what it allows the consumer to do.  It's how it changes our culture, and ultimately how we have to change the fundamental strategy behind the work we do.

Anyway, today, I asked a potential co-worker (this guy probably in his late 40's-ish) if he had a blog, which I thought was a fairly innocuous question, especially for someone trying to tout his new-media savvy.  His appalling answer, "Uhh, No, No I don't, and I don't have a myspace account, either, huh, huh, chuckle, chuckle."  He said it in this condescending way like blogs are just a bunch of teenagers, tech-geeks and creepy old women talking about their doll collections. 

What an ass.  First, Friggin' take a look around, man.  Blogs are changing the way journalists and media conglomerates do business.  It's changing the way we get our news and information.  It's completely leveling the playing field, and this ass thinks it's about MySpace?

And my second problem...Why the hell is he talking shit about MySpace?  MySpace is the fourth most popular site on the web and is on the forefront of the social media revolution. 

Point:  If you think blogs and online social communities are just for kids, then you better not work in marketing.  If you do, QUIT YOUR FUCKING JOB NOW!  And, if you think you don't need to become a part of it to understand and use it, I say again, QUIT YOUR FUCKING JOB NOW!

Well, there's my rant for the day.  I'm all in knots over the Mavericks, and I'm taking it out on this guy, I know, but damnit...

If you want some more thoughts on the subject, Mack, over at Viral Garden, is all about joining the community.

Comments

[Mack Collier]

Sounds like the sort of jackass that would immediately go tell his boss that they 'needed to reach the MySpace crowd'.

A few years ago I was handling online marketing and sales for a Ford Dealership, and most of our business was coming from eBay, which of course meant that there were 10 other competitors selling the exact same product.

I remember telling my boss that I really thought it would be a good idea if we started posting on the online forums for Ford owners, and started developing relationships with the owners, as a way to raise awareness of our products, and to also learn more about what products the owners were looking for.

The response? 'Sounds like a waste of time to me, let's lower prices and see how that works'.

[Paul McEnany]

I think you hit the nail on the head there.

Did your boss happen to go work at JWT, or Ford corporate? Maybe he's the "Bold Moves" genius. Did he have an odd obsession with American Idol, by any chance?

And, I love that "me too" mentality that so many marketers have. They expect so much proof before they'll dive into a new medium, or a new idea, that by the time it's proven, it's become no longer relevant. I really don't know exactly how to walk that tightrope of ROI vs. Innovation, or even if they're really competing ideals, but you can't just do the same thing your competitors are doing and expect to gain any long-term advantage.

And price war marketing? Uggh. Obviously, there are times to lower pricing, but it just seems like such a downward spiral when everyone just tries to undercut everyone else. How about we just make something people want to pay for?

[Ann Handley]

I think you've coined a new word: Jackassery. I *love* it.

[Paul McEnany]

Awesome, That's two this week between Custconsumuser and Jackassery! Maybe I could be the new made-up-wordologist over at marketing profs. :)

[Yuri]

Guess the main issue with the quotes you mention is they don't take the new details of the media into account: how they work, what kind of audience it has, etc.

Just more research into the new marketing channels could easily alleviate such silly discussions.

So it is not the point of being traditional marketer or not. It is a point of a professional marketer, who is always on the edge and constantly searching for new stuff and researching new ways of marketing.

[Paul McEnany]

Well, sort of. Part of what I'm saying is that a marketer with his or her feet stuck firmly in how we have traditionally viewed advertising might do just that, research the medium. The might ask the cost per point, what the reach is, etc, without actually joining in the fun, and understanding how it affects and influences its audiences.

And, there are plenty of professional marketers that aren't on the edge. They still go to work every day, they just have a tendency to view the world through a different pair of glasses.