Some people start the new year with resolutions. I thought, why not start 2010 with 10 commandments for marketing -- resolutions to do marketing right; that is, marketing that takes into account how the modern landscape and modern consumers have changed.
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Thou shalt not target customers with messages they don't want. No matter how targeted the advertiser thinks the message is, it's still not targeted, relevant, or timely enough. Gardening equipment ads in gardening magazines, cosmetic ads in fashion magazines, or aftershave ads in guys' magazines are all better than no targeting at all. But modern consumers are so overwhelmed with information that they generally ignore ads and tune everything out. Studies have shown that 1) ad recall is at an all time low, 2) banner ad click-through rates are usually rounding-errors to zero - i.e., very, very low, and 3) consumers' eyes avoid the top and right of Web pages because they know that's where ads are typically placed. Also, minivan ads may be perfectly targeted using demographics and day-part, but they still don't take into account variables like the fact that the consumer may have just purchased one. There are simply too many variables that affect purchases by any given individual that the targeting schemes of mass media fail to account for. There are far more effective and measurable alternatives to broadcasting general messages out to large audiences using one-way media like TV, print, and radio -- so the sun is setting on the era of big "push" advertising.
- Thou shalt be truthful...
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