Is your marketing comforting, or confining?
The sleeves?
They’re longer than you thought. Aren’t they?
And those clasps? They’re not that easy to undo, are they? And as for the shackles? Well. You’re hog tied, aren’t you? Every way you turn, you’re fighting. And before you know where you are, you’ll probably be raving.
Sound familiar?
Before I learned about the power of direct response marketing, I was an advocate of the brand-based model. My stance was “You can’t argue with the power of the brand!”. And on that, I wouldn’t be shaken.
But George Parker put a stop to all that.
I like George. Never met the chap mind you, but nevertheless, I think we’d get along like a house on fire. Not long ago on Adscam, www.adscam.typepad.com, George was asked how to educate internal clients about the importance of branding.
His answer might surprise you “Forget about branding!” said George “Concentrate on sales!”
When I read that, a light went on at the end of a long and very dark hallway. By sticking to my brand-based principles I’d been stumbling around in the dark. Have you ever done that? I have. But when someone suddenly turns on a light, everything becomes clear in an instant, doesn’t it?
That’s how I felt when I read George’s advice. In just six words George revealed how confining my attitudes had been.
Similarly in the 1800s, and before any understanding of psychiatry, the introduction of prescription drugs, and the impact of psychoanalysis on people’s mental health, most forms of what was seen as mental instability were poorly understood.
In the mid 1800s, “mental health professionals” as we know them didn’t exist. Doctors treated “insanity” by restraining patients in asylums. Doctors thought what we now know as mental illnesswas caused by too much sun, the reading of racy novels, or by over excitement! I know; it sounds absurd to us now, but this was 150 years ago and things change.
Back then, doctors were convinced that anyone who was clearly “insane” had pretty much lost control of their mind, their lives, and their morals.
To treat these conditions—and to help the patient regain some degree of self control—doctors believed “firm measures” were necessary, and the best way to help the patient, or so they thought, was by restraining him (or her).
Enter, the straight jacket.
Consisting of a torso that fastens from behind and extra long sleeves into which the arms are inserted and then crossed across the chest or abdomen (before being cinched behind the patient’s back), depending on the kind of straight jacket, it might also have a crotch strap, side straps, and, in the case of the “Posey” straight jacket, side straps, waist chains, and a set of shackles. (You really can’t be too careful you know!)
So to pull one of these things off is all but impossible. Or so we’re led to believe.
On September 17, 2007, Matthew J. Cassiere, “Matt the Knife” set a new world record for an escape from a “Posey” straightjacket. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, Matt now holds the record for the ”Fastest Escape from a Straitjacket”. In The Media Hotel in Beijing, China, Matt freed himself in an astonishing 18.8 seconds.
What on earth has this got to do with marketing? Well, that depends on you. Could it be that your attitude toward your marketing is keeping you, er “confined”?
Are your misguided ideals about what constitutes “effective marketing” actually be hurting you? Or hurting your sales? Or worst of all, hurting your relationship with your customers?
How long will it take you to escape the clutches of ego, ignorance, and, yes, possibly your own stupidity or stubbornness? To build a business you’ve GOT to get out of your own way. Yes, I know no one likes to admit they’re wrong, least of all me. But as I get older—and when I am wrong—I’m far more inclined to admit as much and, more importantly, see my error as a stepping stone rather than as a stumbling block.
Being wrong is NOT a sign of weakness, it’s a chance to learn so you can improve. So “being wrong” can actually help you. If you can admit you’re wrong and, more importantly, take action to free yourself.
Over the last few years I’ve learned that you can’t fix a problem or work through an issue until you admit that either one exists and that it’s holding you back. And believe me, no one knows more than I do just how hard it is to admit that you’ve been wrong, that you’ve screwed up.
Isn’t the future of your business worth more than your pride? Isn’t your success worth casting off the straight jacket of your current opinions about direct response marketing so you can grow?
Mine is.
P.S. If you’re a student of marketing and you don’t mind colourful language, head over to Adscam www.adscam.typepad.com. But a word of warning: Adscam is not for the faint of heart. If you’re offended by profanity, you might want to skip Adscam. Otherwise, George’s writing is a treat because it’s direct, and funny and … well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.
All I’ll say is, George tells it like it is. And grumpy old bugger he might be, there’s no ignoring his opinion on advertising and what he calls its BDAs (Big Dumb Agencies). Anyway, much like the opinions of my old Dad (gone now for almost five years and God, how I miss him), if you don’t like what George’s got to say, well, that’s your problem.
