Ah, there's nothing like an election to get me thinking about all the things I hate about marketing. While a tiny part of me admires the clever people running political campaigns, mostly I am sickened by what I consider to be a serious lack of judgment and respect for the intended audience.
Now that the mid-term elections are over and my blood pressure is back to normal, I'd like to reflect on 4 marketing practices that make me ashamed to be a marketer.
#1: Robocalls
In the days leading up to this election, I received no less than one robocall per day, Saturdays and Sundays included. If you want to tick off your prospective customers, bombard them with and endless stream of automated, over-the-top marketing messages. Come to think of it, Twitter's sponsored tweets might be just the ticket.
#2: Lack of full disclosure
One of the referendums on the ballot this year had to do with a community college that wanted to raise funds to expand. The question on the ballot only asked, though, if we approved the use of bonds to raise the funds. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? What it failed to mention is that if we voted 'no,' our property taxes would go down next year. Both my husband and I were duped by the lack of disclosure.
I'm all for painting a product in the best possible light, but I draw the line when it comes to leaving out important details that will leave a sour taste in the customer's mouth.
#3: Catching you when your guard is down
This Halloween my neighborhood didn't just have trick-or-treaters. We had political workers ringing our doorbells because they knew we'd be opening our doors that day. It takes a weasley marketer to capitalize on a day that's supposed to be about the kids.
#4: Boosting a mediocre product up by tearing the competitor down
If your only choice was to buy a car that caught fire when you hit the brakes, and one that caught fire when you hit the gas, which would you choose? That's how I felt about the political candidates on the ballot. Both sides had multiple, substantial flaws that were emphasized over and over again -- and embellished -- in attack ads. Unfortunately politicians can get away with this because after all, somebody has to win.
If you're in the software game, I wouldn't suggest a similar strategy of building yourself up by tearing your competitor down. Just give your customers a kick-butt product they won't want to live without.
