Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

The feedback on marketing tactics and materials (from marketers and non-marketers alike) is way too often all about the great all-seeing, all-knowing “I.” “I like…” “I don’t like…” “I can’t…” “I would…”

Sorry, bunkie, but you’re not who we’re talking to here… Personally, my favorite ice cream flavor is good ol’ vanilla, but I know there are some people who love rum raisin (shudder) and even (gag) bubble gum.

Then there’s the worry you’ll upset someone. The bigger worry should be people don’t notice you long enough to be offended.

Or, as DJ O’Neill notes in the Ad Age article, There’s No Need to Be So Sensitive. (Via Holly Buchanan of The Future Now, writing on The Difference Between Edgy and Creative)

If we hamstring ourselves with an overblown fear of offending the consumer, we’re truly screwed. The consumer, unlike my skin, is not nearly as sensitive as we think.

Great creative needs to be unexpected to connect emotionally with the consumer. And if we can’t push to the edges, we’ll be stuck in the middle. And that’s not very unexpected.

Holly adds that:

Here’s where I’d change the wording to make more sense: “Great creative needs to be unexpected to get the consumer’s attention.” Great creative needs to be relevant to connect emotionally with the consumer.

And, you can’t make that connection if you’re all about “I.”

Related Posts:
Marketing Messages: Is Everything Awesome?
Marketing Messages: “Cute” Phobia

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Tags: creativity, marketing, marketing troubleshooting, marketing communications