Holiday Internet Fun…And The Next Big Trend: Bullshit Free Media aka Traction By Action
Check out this “mis-interpretation” Pearl Jam’s “Yellow Ledbetter”.
Now, something cool:
TRUTH:
Last week, in hearing looking and watching the Mitchell report coverage...it's central theme is "truth"... (Or lack of), as in who's telling the truth. This morning on TV and in print, the Weather reporting is....SO sensational, you cant really get the TRUTH. I think there's a STRONG growing appetite for "The Truth". The research I've seen on Fox News' extraordinary success shows one key finding is that their FANS think they tell the TRUTH instead of skewing it. (Expert perception creation at it's best)
I think TRUTH is soon to be a HOT marketing/positioning/branding/defining term. No one has "claimed" it. And it's tough to get any cred by simply saying "Hey--we tell the truth”. But I think too many places are too busy being "the Best"...”on Your Side" and other focus group fantasies. Whereas “THE BULLSHIT STOPS HERE as an angle would probably be very effective. Though I’d guess most marketing and media people just can’t resist the temptation to OVER sell and focus on the clichés…that rarely resonate anymore. The old school “slogan era” is drawing to a close. A New era is emerging.
There’s a website that has old TV ads. Classic stuff:
Go here:
http://www.roadode.com/classicindex.shtml
Not only are they amusing, but you can see how the now hilarious “selling” is more humor than salesmanship by today’s standards. My point is that most media are operating by 20 year old standards. My favorite is Asking a Question. “Tired of the same old music? Try….” That’s not too far from (circa 1961) ‘Hey Mom, kids wearing you down? Try Geritol…” Or in radio---It’s bragging “The best…the most…” In News, it’s “Action, Now, Immediate, Early Warning News Special Alert”. In Politics it’s “...The other guy is bad…and I approve this message”.
Then there’s REALITY TV. Well, it IS hardly reality…but “TRUTH” is what it’s all about. “Real”. Of course it’s fake real…but the IDEA is ‘real’. I was on the Apprentice along with Eric, Lisa Ivery and Lou Brutus last year. Took 4 days to tape it—by the time it was over, the reality was on the editing floor…
The BIG opportunities in 08 are all about….taking a deep breath, and telling; it like it is. Aka Truth. Not in a slogan…but in everything that permeates the product—so people actually BUY the fact that you are in the NO BULLSHIT ZONE. This doesn’t mean being SO honest that you don’t gain traction…it means NOT fearing TRUTH or resort to "marketing" truth and hoping people see beyond the 'sell'...and getting off the damn hype machine…breathe deep and stop feeding the Bullshit machine that create “yeah, sure” rather than “damn right!”. Change via AFDI rather than telling people you are changed, but in reality it’s all still the same. TRACTION BY ACTION. The next big trend…
”trust me”.
Oh…and click here for a really good article on the state of the music business from David Byrne. Never cared for his music…a little too “hip” in a New York way…but the guy is pretty smart:
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne?currentPage=alll
Finally….once again, from Miss Teen South Carolina, the bright future of our Country, what just might be quote of the year:
I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe like that they should like do our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and like the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us."