Spam Scam Scram

There are more emails sent and received every day, than there are humans walking the earth.

We are officially overwhelmed by email, advertising, marketing, voice mail and gadgets. The chatter is deafening and the chances of being heard are getting tougher every day. And social media is the new petri dish for advertisers and marketers.

The attention span of hummingbirds

During one of our long phone chats about how we would change the radio industry for the better, my good friend Sean Demery asked, "What is the lottery jackpot in Toronto this week?" I said, "$10 Million". He quipped back, "And you think you are going to cut through with free concert tickets?" That was 10 years ago.

Those were the days, my friend...

If you have ever seen footage of an NHL game from the 60’s, you will notice how bare the arena looks. There are no ads on the boards, the stairs are clear of logos, it’s pure and clean. But as soon as one advertising agency, one PR expert, one savvy marketing person realized that there were ways to exploit any flat surface, that all changed.

Watch a European hockey game now and you can't see the ice or the players for all the advertising. It's gotten just a tad ridiculous. Then again, it seems to be working for NASCAR.

Shut it off..

If you decided that for just one day you were going to avoid all advertising, public relations or marketing messages, your only choice would be to sit still in a dark room with the lights off. And try not to hear thousands of those messages in your head whilst sitting in said dark room. When you emerge, someone will be hoping to catch your attention.

We are consuming (and often discarding) content and messages everywhere, all the time. Annual online advertising in estimated at $24 Billion in the U.S. and $1.6 Billion in Canada. In comparison, Obama & Co. bailed out AIG to the tune of $185 Billion. So, digital revenue streams have a way to go. Sadly, so does the clutter.

Spam vs. Conversation

If you work in marketing, advertising or public relations you have clients that want you to help them make more money. But how often are you interrupted by messages you didn’t ask for or calls from people you don’t know or flip up, pop up, drop down, auto email blasts, dancing avatars or skyscraper ads in your day?

We laugh whenever we get the Nigerian bank email or someone claims that it’s ‘no money down’, 'guaranteed' or 'a sure thing'. With the National No-Call List in effect for Canada and the U.S., telemarketers have had to look at other avenues for revenue growth.

Advertising on Twitter? Shock horror!

When I used to talk on the radio, I really had no idea who was actually listening. It’s the same with this post or any messages we send to each other. There are some great ideas and deals for us all to enjoy. Equally, there is no shortage of people who are happy to spam, scam and scram. Why do they do that? Enough people say yes to make it worth their while.

How do you cut through the noise and get your message to its intended receiver without it appearing like spam or an interruption?



photo credit: newsday.com

People Predictions and Pontifications

"Imagine yourself as a chef in an extremely well-stocked kitchen where there are many ingredients that are not appropriate for your creation, but you feel no discomfort about their existence. You simply utilize the ingredients that will enhance your creation – and you leave the ingredients that are not appropriate for your creation." Ask And It Is Given – Esther and Jerry Hicks

It’s the time of year, when we all try and figure out the future. Although all we have is NOW, we somehow feel comfort is trying out our predictions nonetheless.

As I watch my media brethren brace for tough times, I wonder how we will all survive. I can tell you one thing – it won’t be by holding cards close to chests and hoping the other guy blinks. It will be by working in truly integrated solution-based relationships.

Friends will hire more friends – that’s a practice as old as humankind – but will be even more widespread now than ever. This is not about giving a buddy a contract because he’s your buddy. This is about working with more people you trust over those you don’t trust or don’t know. That trust is built through actions, not favors.

The Bush Administration is working on a solution for the Big Three – one may be bankruptcy. I am in the media production creation world and the first story I read yesterday was that the ad agency on the Chrysler account just laid off a bunch of people.

So now what? What do we do? Well, here are some suggestions...

◦ Be Honest
◦ Care for relationships as you care for yourself
◦ Say “I don’t know but I will find out” more often
◦ Phone more and email less
◦ Listen more and talk less
◦ Deliver what you say you will deliver, no really!
◦ Be accountable and work with people who are accountable
◦ Mean it
◦ Create win/wins or prepare to hear a lot of no’s
◦ Take the time and take the call
◦ Ask more than tell
◦ Understand that no one has all the answers

Social media will grow and morph, business will change, the economy will never look the same, technology will emerge, medical breakthroughs will continue, the list goes on ...but at the core is how we interact with and treat each other.

When I was a radio consultant, I had a mentor once tell me that no one wants to hear that they have an ugly baby. Though I am now producing more visual stuff than radio stuff, he and I still exchanged emails yesterday and agreed to stay in touch - and we both mean it despite the fact that we don't have any current direct work with each other.

When I had the awesome privilege of leading the build of two new radio stations from scratch, what was always front and center was the commonality of co-creating as a team. There was no time for egos and turf wars. None of us have time for that. Especially now.

So as we slam headlong in to more doom and gloom that may be 2009, if you want to keep your head down, aim for the middle, subscribe to the “good enough will do” mantra, your wish will be granted. But if you surround and immerse yourself with people who support you because you support them, butt-covering will become less necessary.

I know, this is revolutionary stuff. The point is – do we do it? We also know we should eat five servings of fruits and veggies every day.

km