I See Dead People
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007 by Mark | Posted in Advertising, Business, Entrepreneur, Management, Marketing, Small Business, Unconventional Thinking | Comments
The Walking Dead. Oh sure, they pretend to be alive. They walk and talk and cite buzzwords and have all manner of pious ideas. But no blood. No guts. They are mannequins.
They love to congregate on Madison Ave, wherever the hell that is. Well, actually, it’s a place where people with water in their veins pretend to be business people. Or artists. Or living, breathing humans. But they just churn out “the star maker machinery behind the popular songs.” They are well-dressed dead people.
I see them because we get invited to talk on the same TV shows. I am the maverick because I have the gall to think advertising/marketing should sell. They think it should create exciting photo shoots in Paris. They hate me. Bring it on! I can’t hate them; they are dead! Not a single idea in decades. No idea of what a balance sheet looks like. They think they are in business, but are really interred.
Ok, so this is harsh. Yes! And life is short. And business is tough. And it
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March 7th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I agree wholeheartedly. You have a new daily reader!
March 7th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
They must be doing something right…If it’s all about results, why then do they have all the big accounts? And big accounts mean big revenues…which likely means effective marketing…or selling rather…
I’m not disagreeing with you in some/many respects, however, your destructive criticism seems more for self-promotion than constructive feedback…you gotta start somewhere!
March 9th, 2007 at 8:18 am
I believe that design,photo’s,ads etc. build a brand. Just focussing on sales is not enough. The combination of both might be the answer. I do agree that marketing should generate more sales, though. Funny written piece!
March 12th, 2007 at 8:26 am
I’ve read your book and have been a regular reader of this blog. I get it – I know my marketing sucks. But my question is scale.
My business is small – I buy and sell residential real estate. How are these principles applicable to my business?
March 12th, 2007 at 10:36 am
To All: Mark Stevens’ words here are EXTREMELY far from self-promotion. The “Dead People” he speaks of is such a tremendous plague that there are plenty of people walking around thinking that the brainless marketing that wins awards (and doesn’t make the cash register ring) is ‘just fine’. Remember that in many big organizations and agencies, sales don’t matter nearly as much as gratifying egos. THAT’s the type of marketing which Mark detests – and rightfully so.
I was laid off on my last (Forever) marketing position because I couldn’t stomach being forced to come up with these brainless, Paris-photo-layered campaigns that meant absolutely NOTHING to the consumer, and did positively NOTHING to cash flow. So I’m breaking out on my own, carving my own niche. Finding and building my own products, based on market demand. Creating my own sales revenue stream. Listening to my own customers and acting on it. And I feel a lot better.
Oh, and Mark’s “Your Marketing Sucks” book? It’s my BIBLE. Don’t think it’s a sales tool for Mark’s agency, it’s not. It’s one of the sole tools TRUE marketers like myself use for doing *real* marketing. The companies and agencies that are tripping over themselves, patting themselves on their back, are going to be kicked right to the curb – and crying in their milk – when an agency/company comes along, using what Mark (and many other true marketing leaders) preach, and eat their lunch. I don’t know about you, but I’m bringing a bib!
P.S. Dennis: Mark’s tools and guidelines can be applied to your business. I suggest you pick up a book. If you were nearby, I’d let you borrow mine!
March 12th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
This attidude Mark is railing against here, this “let’s do some cool ads so we can go on a photoshoot and who cares about the sales numbers and fuck the client and the consumer” thing…it doesn’t really exist. I’ve worked in advertising for a decade, and it’s super-rare to come across this type of thinking. People who do think like this are typically very junior and are quickly expunged.
There are several ad agencies out there doing great work: brand-building, buzz-generating, sales-inducing communications. To separate these things as if they’re mutally exclusive is dumb.
March 14th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Dennis: Size doesn’t have an impact on philosophy. The ROI approach, for example, is essential for companies of all sizes. Stay focused on the principles, the reality, and I believe you will see the truth of this…and your company will grow.
Mark Stevens
CEO
June 4th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Ok Mark, there’s some truth here for sure. But what about all the clients who really don’t have a clue what THEY are doing… At least you can learn marketing, advertising and PR in school. Almost nobody teaches how to be a good client…
I wish all clients and prospects would have to study Ten Tips for Being a Good Client
I’ve been a multi-million dollar client guy and run multi-million campaigns for clients. There’s plenty of blame on both sides…