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The average consumer
sees 1,500 marketing messages a day. A third of all direct mail is thrown away.
By 2006, spam emails are estimated to swell to around 20 billion each day. Marketing
communications have become like TV reality programmes: overdone; leaving consumers
screaming, 'get me out of here, I'm harassed!"
The toll on our
industry is grave. For example, rejected telemarketers are either emigrating in
their droves to India, or booking appointments with psychoanalysts - to discuss
why nobody wants to talk to them anymore. Even stalwarts like sweet and soft drinks
manufacturers are contemplating a world where children are not allowed to have
homework time (16.00 - 18.30) interrupted with banal TV commercials.
Tough times call
for tough measures, sports and four-wheel drive car owning marketers have been
summoned to the boardroom to thrash out the problem and deliver a 'golden bullet'
answer. Luckily, a voice of hope has been heard singing three magical words, "Just
say yes".
This is how the
idea works: Remember when kids were warned to "Just say no" to anything
that seemed a touch dodgy? Well, kids being kids did the exact opposite, so said
"yes" to all manners of proposals. So why not cut to the chase, allowing
consumers to offer consent upfront - and save lots of advertising wastage, in
the process!
It's all about collaborative
consensual relationships promising mutually rewarding benefits for everyone. The
consumer gets the kind of junk mail they 'love' [I think there's an oxymoron in
there somewhere] we get to target campaigns, and above all, choice, tempered by
consumer rights - namely the right to be bombarded at a convenient time and place
with marketing messages - is attained. (Hallelujah!)
With Permission
Marketing up our sleeves we can really show how we care for the dear old consumer
forced to deal with all those messages using just a brain comprising of over ten
thousand million brain cells.
Through declaring
their preferred communications channel, rather leaving it to us to pay to uncover
it, PM offers the consumer the right to 'opt-in' to our marcoms, which is neat,
as it provides both the 'green light', and a way around any tedious data protection
requirements, to swamp 'em to our hearts' content.
Rather than the
'bad days' of sordid bribery to encourage brand loyalty - like money-off vouchers
- or worst still, price cuts, we can build enduring relationships based on mutual
interests and values. For example, free phone calls, lower bills and so on (first
reader to spot the difference between this method and that used in the 'bad days',
gets a mutually valuable complimentary plastic pen).
With the rights
to allow consent in good order, the consumer is free to have choice and a gift
if they reply soon; all without any obligation.
It is all as wonderful
as a group hug and cheery "did you have a nice weekend?" smile in the
office corridor.
But hold on: There's
something afoot in the Garden of Eden…
…The trouble
with bowing to whimsical rights is that if consumers change their minds over what
their rights are, (as is their right) or indeed you change your mind on what are
your rights, you end up trying to please everyone else's rights. Nothing gets
done. It's Political Correctness lunacy!
Instead of chasing
shifting consensual rights, marketers have obligations to ensure that messages
are honest and measured in the first place. We have an obligation to offer informed
choice - rather than expect consumers to rummage around for information about
products and services. (As if they didn't already have enough to worry about).
Try telling a new business that rather than advertise they should wait for the
'mountain to come to Mohammad'.
We are obliged not
to treat adult consumers as kids.
We have an even
greater obligation to children. In a world where twelve year olds forget the 3
Rs but remember to 'go large' with their fries, we're obliged towards marketing
messages of substance, decency and practicality.
Think about it and
then act on your common sense. I promise you won't just gain permission, but trust
and the entitlement to have earned them.
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Jonathan
Gabay is on CIM's core faculty. Recommended
future courses led by Jonathan include:
•
The
definitive guide to marketing teamwork
•
Creative
Marketing - the complete beginner's guide
Be
sure to visit Jonathan's website - www.gabaynet.com |
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