In today’s digital-driven society, advertising and PR professionals need to be more dynamic, flexible and responsive than we’ve ever been. However, the need for speed does not excuse the need to be thoughtful and strategic. We need to understand where we’re going and how our efforts are supporting business goals. Just because we can elicit conversations and “generate buzz” (a phrase that never ceases to make me shudder), does it mean that we should? What is the value of conversation for conversation’s sake? Are we creating the clutter that we’re all trying to break through?
Marketing to and teaching Millennials has been one of the most enlightening challenges of my career. This is the generation that, faced with the data deluge, is turning off TVs (if they buy them in the first place) and leaving social media platforms in favor of spaces with genuine human connections. We need to listen and respect their space. We need to resist the temptation to be the girl/guy at the party who barges into every conversation and makes it about them. No one likes that person. They don’t get invited back. So why do brands continue to be that guy/girl?
It’s as though we’re filling sandbags and running the sprinklers at the same time. We’ve become our worst enemy. To quote the animated sage of awkward fatherhood, Hank Hill, “…I’m trying to control an outbreak, and you’re driving the monkey to the airport!”
Should we stop talking? Should we stop advertising? No. We still need to be at the party. We still have meaningful things to say. We need to respect the space (and our hosts) and focus on building meaningful long-term brand relationships. That takes time, listening, and care. Done right, it can be a very worthwhile investment. But, in these days where everyone’s rushing to dominate the conversation (often with half-baked ideas and information), it takes bravery to wait, listen, and think before we speak.
Be brave.
Nancy Syzdek, APR 