Now there’s a headline worthy of discussion. 75%? But is it something that should surprise us?
I took that stat from a Forbes article in which the author, John Hall, argues: “when was the last time you clicked on a banner ad? What about the last time you listened to a telemarketer’s entire spiel and then whipped out your credit card to book a cruise?”
Or my personal favorite from a recent email: “when did you get buyer feedback that suggests: ‘oh yes, it was the 11th email you sent me that really hooked me in’.”
OK, yes…in this context the stat is likely true, but not alarming. We all know this still happens. Whether you are researching a restaurant, a new car or looking to understand how to deploy smart-devices in your new home, we are all miffed as we skip past overt sales pitches in search of the data and resources we need to form an opinion.
As it turns out, the stat is from a survey conducted by Ad Age. In the survey, 75% of marketers said content should frequently mention products and services (despite the fact that 60% of their audience turns down salesy content).
I’ve thought a lot about why so marketers would say this.
Are they Uninspired? Uninformed? Or have they simply not bought into the Digital Religion yet?
Huh?...Digital Religion?
I picked that term up from the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) and I like it. Last year, I participated on the CMA’s ‘Digital Day’ event committee and we tried to create an event that explored the impact of Digital on all our lives. This year they have, smartly, rebranded the event as ‘Digital Religion.’
The term is relevant because we are seeing more and more job titles like "Digital Prophet," "Tech Evangelist" and "Chief Belief Officer."
These are the thought leaders in the digital space. And many sit outside of the marketing department. Their jobs are to spread the gospel of technological progress to every global industry; show the people how digital has engulfed their daily lives, and, in the case of marketers, get us to understand how brands can better leverage digital to reach customers.
Marketers should be an easy conversion; digital marketing is now the leading platform through which we conduct business.
Is it just me, or do you think we now need a digital theme in Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky!?!
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