We could talk about the neat products I saw at the
Future of Online Advertising (FOOA) conference.
We could also review presentations
that stood out as
unique or valuable,
but others have done a great job
with that already.
I’d like to talk about a theme that came through over
and over again and extended well beyond the conference to dinner and a
party.
Find
the conversation where it is occurring and join it there.
Lately, the buzz is all about “conversation.”
But, what is a conversation?
If I go to the mall and scream at people as they
walk by are we having a conversation?
If I only want to talk about (and hear about) what
interests me, am I participating in a conversation?
If my only goal is to convince you to do
something, are we conversing? And if so,
is it genuine? Can we have a conversation
if one or both of us isn’t listening?
Many companies approach advertising, marketing, and sales by attempting to engage their "target" to get what they need.
It’s all about them!
It takes credibility to start a conversation. It takes time, sincerity, and consistent
action to develop credibility.
The credibility needed is NOT convincing customers that the company is
a quality producer of product “X”. It’s demonstrating that
they genuinely care about customers and want to contribute to the
customer’s environment in a meaningful way.
Could the future of advertising be building genuine
relationships through meaningful and authentic conversations and contributions?
Then doesn’t it make sense to build credibility by joining conversations where they’re occurring?
I think I know him 🙂
Wow.
I pray more people hear and HEED your words, Ann.
And yes, it does make sense that conversations should occur naturally. And I love your question about shouldn’t it happen then where these convesations are occuring…
Here’s a story.
A snobby friend calls and is having a party. You arrive and it turns out to be a sales pitch. She isn’t listening, but rather is showing her new products and has order forms. And there’s a space on the order form for any “off-topic” questions. Sound crazy? Well, it’s not in a lot of “online community ventures” by the big brands…
CK- aside from dazzling me with your marketing brilliance, you also crack me up!
Let’s just stay away from malls in Des Moines – according to Tim Johnson they’re a tough venue!
Having met the absolute delight that is YOU, I think you should be giving the above advice in front of audiences…and I’d love to see you do some broadcast. You have the savvy and personality for it.
You’ve certainly made an impression on me. As per the above, would love to go to the mall and yell at people with you (just for some fun…is that evil?).