The Bravery of Silence

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.

Shock is not a sustainable strategy

From Bloomberg Businessweek

The other day, I posted a the following comment regarding Bloomberg Businessweek’s controversial hedge fund cover.

“Something tells me there’s a creative director looking for a job this week.”

As it turns out, the decision was quite deliberate and endorsed by the publication’s editorial staff.

One of my colleagues purported, “The creative director is brilliant as there is so much buzz around this issue.”

My frank (and admittedly rather crass) response? “Buzz is bullshit when everyone who’s talking about you thinks you’re an idiot for degrading your publication’s brand.” It’s never safe to assume that just because someone is talking about you they’re saying nice things. Ask Paula Deen. I think she’d rather people forget her name for a few months.

My colleague appreciated my point and responded, “Of course, this isn’t their first questionable cover. They’ve actually published more offensive covers in the past, in my opinion. The risk is diminishing the quality of the reporting the cover is illustrating. Who knows what kind of long-term negative impact it will have. My guess is not much.”

He may very well be right. Boomberg’s cover, although crude, is somewhat par for the course for the publication. Getting mad at them is akin to being upset at Maxim’s publishers for the half-naked girl du jour on their cover or being upset with Simon Cowell for being rude. Crass and rude may be a part of the brand.

However, is that a solid brand strategy? In the case of the Bloomberg cover, it’s likely that a mere fraction of the people who clicked the link to see the cover actually read the story.  Unfortunately Sheela Kolhatkar’s diligent investigation into what will likely be the next great American financial disaster is largely lost in the melee.

So, what’s the lesson here? Strong visuals can be incredibly powerful and effective at attracting people to your content. However, when an element of the story (in this case, the visual) eclipses the message, then there is a loss.

Also, shock and awe campaigns are often short-lived. It’s hard to maintain that sort of energy without denigrating your brand into a bad B-movie. In the end, brands are built on relationships. If given the choice, choose to establish that relationship with a handshake, not a clown’s joy buzzer.

Image courtesy of Kipp Toys