Our Target: The Stupid People
I somehow ended up watching one of those ridiculous political cartoons - ur - commercials last night - complete with sonorous dumbed-down sound bites and the worst possible photos of the opponent. Such things not only insult the opponent, they insult the viewer. (1) Reminded me of back in my Corporate days, when I once did a parody presentation (internally) that included the slide: “Our Target: The Stupid People.” I was having a little (cynical) fun. However, all too often it seems this really is the target for many businesses and organizations. If we collectively were as stupid as we’re treated, we wouldn’t be able to feed ourselves, much less buy things or vote.
Here’s the thing: Keeping it simple doesn’t mean dumbing it down (as I’ve noted before) - and people appreciate you talking to them as if they have some sense. You don’t have to be an Einstein to “get” product benefits or political points. And, do you really want stupid customers? Of course not.
(1) I had high hopes that the two women running for Congress here, Heather Wilson (R, incumbent) and Patricia Madrid (D), would set an example, as women and politicians. Sadly, I’ve been disappointed. And, no, neither of the candidates can get by with the whine, “She started it!” That wasn’t a good excuse in kindergarten.
Related Posts:
Stating the Obvious to the Oblivious
Do We Want Drooling Customers?
Fear is A Lousy Marketing Strategy
(Why do I talk about politics on a business blog? Because politics is nothing but a messy mess of terrible, cynical stupid marketing. Great examples of what not to do in many cases. We can do better, people.)
Tags: political commercials, marketing, marketing troubleshooting, advertising, target marketing, Heather Wilson, Patricia Madrid
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October 11th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
Gosh Mary, I would have loved to have been in the room when you gave your “Stupid People” presentation! I hope they “got” it. You make such a great disctinction between simple and dumb - I wish more people can look at it like you do. And BTW, keep talking about politics - I like it when you get riled up!
October 12th, 2006 at 5:16 am
We can do better but, sadly, we usually don’t. In my state, Michigan, we’ve had negative ads running for weeks. As with most elections lately, it seems I’m faced with voting for the person I think is least awful, which seems like a lousy choice to have to make.
October 12th, 2006 at 6:54 am
You know, I was just pondering this question over at The Journal Blog — does it really work when politicians pitch people stuff that is a direct contradiction to what their lives tell them is going on? As in, “Never mind that your wages are stagnant and every day is a struggle to make ends meet, the economy is strong and growing!” I dunno, maybe it just takes a certain kind of stupid, huh?
October 12th, 2006 at 8:22 am
Well, “they” will keep doing the mud-slinging thing as long as “we” allow it.
Me? I’m going to write an open letter to the editor of both newspapers here AND send notes to the candidates this week AND encourage others to do so. Since I posted this - the NM Secretary of State’s race is turning nasty (both women - sigh)
Why don’t we all take a few minutes each week to speak up? Doesn’t have to be a long letter or intense phoning - just a steady pinging. Who knows? Maybe some of the politician’s conscience will wake up!
“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.” - Samuel Adams
November 3rd, 2006 at 3:27 pm
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