“People read what interests them. Sometimes, it’s an ad.”

(2009 Update:) “Or a blog. Or an email. Or a text message.” Howard Gossage, iconic advertising maverick wrote the headline to this post more than 40 years ago. And while his ‘ad’ reference may seem a bit outdated, the essence of his thought has never been more true. People, being the humans they are, are still curious and still quite vulnerable to being engaged by interesting thought.

Admittedly, this is now a more difficult proposition than it was in Mr. Gossage’s day. There is more clutter, more noise, more distraction, more fragmentation, and more ‘choice’ than ever before. And so, we have convinced ourselves that people don’t read, they have shorter attention spans, and are ‘just too busy,’ to spend time with an idea.

It’s an easy trap: musicians, movie-makers, game-makers, and more have fallen prey to this belief. Make it faster, make it louder, make it more ‘cool.’ Regardless (and often in spite) of a big–or even medium-sized–idea. Marketing culture, which has always adhered to an art-imitates-life credo, simply tries to keep pace. Much of which (at least from a media/distribution standpoint) is necessary. Problem is that along the way, marketing is losing its most fundamental tool: The ability to engage people with a powerful idea that sells something. A message, bigger than the technology delivering it.

For most, trying to stay on the bleeding edge of trendsetting is a losing proposition. Someone else can always be a little bit faster, a little bit louder, a little bit more ‘cool.’ Nope, for most, the best way to win today (and any day) is to be the most interesting you, you can be. Own it. Live it. Be it. Regardless of how fast the world moves. Regardless of the next new technology.

Work on your position. Work on your message. Create an emotional connection that no one else can have.

Remember: People buy what interests them. Sometimes, it’s you.

While I’m working on my next post, I hope you’ll read about how Cohesion helps organizations build stronger messaging to increase consistency, lower cost and drive growth, here.

Today’s Marketing Opportunity: Say something worth saying

In ways even he could not have imagined, Marshall McLuan’s 1960’s theory has come to pass: The Medium is the Message.

Proof is all around: People mindlessly flip through hundreds of cable channels, watching, well…nothing really, simply because they have the technology. Others, adorned with head and ear attachments, oblivious to fellow shoppers and commuters, converse about trivial matters, simply because, yes, they can. Cell phones at the ready, kids of all ages text millions of introspective messages such as: where u at?

Because we can, we do. We have been empowered by the technology around us, and dammit, we’re going to use it. Whether we need to or not.

And that’s OK. But while the explosion of communication mediums has certainly democratized authorship of the message (more people have the ability to say more things to more people), it’s had a severely negative impact on the quality of the message itself. I don’t know about you, but I can’t read another blog entry about what someone had for breakfast this morning.

Here’s the point: The biggest, real opportunity for marketers today is not about embracing the next technology, it’s about better using the ones we have. And to do this properly, we have to look beyond the the medium, and look to the intrinsic power of the message. The age-old, technology-agnostic craft of saying something worth saying. Something of relevance. Something of meaning. God knows, you’ll stand out.

Woody Allen once said, ‘80% of success is just showing up.’ Well, from a communications standpoint, we’ve embraced this, haven’t we? We’re connected. We’ve got gadgets and toys that would frighten Alexander Graham Bell and Mr. Watson. We’re not going to miss the next message. Problem is, is it really worth hearing? Mr. and Ms. marketer, it’s up to you.

While I’m working on my next post, I hope you’ll read about how Cohesion helps organizations build stronger messaging to increase consistency, lower cost and drive growth, here.