My friend Chris plays football for Monmouth University in New Jersey. I planned to attend his last game and went to the Monmouth Hawks Football website to find the schedule. The left-hand side menu bar has links like:
- Roster
- Hall of Fame
- Marketing
Under the marketing tab there’s information about “Promotional Events,” “Hawks in the Community,” and the student-generated “Shadow Nation” fan club.
Now I know most organizations (including VQC) do promotional events, most of which are geared to help the community in some way. But should they be marketed as marketing?
Granted,
- Their purpose IS marketing
- The funding comes from the marketing budget
- Marketing professionals probably oversee them.
But actually referring to the programs as marketing to the public?
It seems insincere. Marketing isn’t supposed to look like marketing. When it is, it comes across as disingenuous.
Marketing works best when called something else. Every action a business takes has the accepted benefit plus an ulterior motive, like
- Sales calls
- Motive: add an account
- Marketing: “Match your needs to our expertise”
- Charity work
- Motive: get press
- Marketing: “Improve society”
- Infomercial ads:
- Motive: get you to buy cheap trinkets
- Marketing: “SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS BY CALLING NOW!“
These exercises usually work because they massage people’s sensibilities. People like being catered to, appreciate when a business helps to improve society and want to do basic tasks more easily.
But when the groups offering these services come out and say “we’re doing this to market to you,” it breaks the illusion.
Imagine if a sales rep called and said, “Your name is on my list and I’d like to make some money off of you.” Or a company at a benefit had a sign saying “LOCAL NEWS! Interview us.” Or an infomercial: “We’ll tell you every possible way this thing can help you, but it’ll break in three months.”
Is any of your customer communication breaking the illusion?
Comments
Hi There Alex,
It is interesting that, as we are pursuing ideas for our Marketing Budget that we came across your Blog.
A very interesting Post and a very informative Site! As somewhat new to this venue, we will always be looking for tips on marketing.
Looking at the economy gives evidence that times are changing and that has forced a subtle evolution into how marketing dollars are to be dispersed in the future. Competition always increases where there is a need.
To tell you the truth we haven’t given much thought to the use of Marketing Words being important to a customers perspective. Thanks for the ‘Heads Up’. To come across appearing insincere and/or disingenuous to a buyer would mean a disaster. Nevertheless, the marketing budget is key to profits, regardless what it is called.
NO Marketing Budget made it so hard to get our ‘Brick & Mortar’ Business going! “I MEAN SLOW!” Therefore, Diversifying and endeavoring to generate additional streams of revenue has brought us to the Internet and we appreciate the goodness of people like you, who are here to help. We will make the effort to peruse your Site to glean all the gems!
Not having any budget (When We Started!) We began our search on finding something with, which to build one. Guerrilla Marketing is one venue we are now moving on. One thing that caught my eye was a question I stumbled on searching for marketing budgets,
“What Is Better Than Free?”
Nevertheless, we found the answer to be in the Jay Conrad Levinson M.O. i.e.,
“Getting Paid For Doing It”
And this was right down our alley!
And now, we will soon be Cautiously GROWING Our Budget!
Thanks again for the GREAT Post, D. P. Gatten. http://tinyurl.com/2d88ck for more.