Those who go back with me may recall that I regularly wrote and posted Notes From A Mobilized Marketer following the publication of my first book, Mobilized Marketing, in 2012.
And for those who go back -- way, way back with me -- you likely remember that I’m a former journalist who have always sought to find the interesting, especially those things that matter, and to be provocative in my writing.
The column went on hiatus as life got busier and attention turned elsewhere.
The break is over.
Why?
There are so many thoughts, questions, doubts, fears, and, on the many good days, hopes that it’s time to write more regularly. I know for sure that this Notes phase will be more personal than ever, and I’ll surely look to spark conversation again.
We need each other more than ever and I’m starting this effort up again not to spew but to share and hopefully to hear from you if something strikes a chord.
Let’s go.
On any given day, my emotions run from overcome to optimistic but there are way too many days when the mindset goes in reverse. I don’t have a handle on my psyche and I’ll bet that there are loads of us in the same place. What does this have to do about marketing? Everything. We are nothing without consumer insights. But today more than ever, labeling someone this or that fails to account for the fact that in a pandemic, in lots of ways, someone – your customer or prospect -- is this and that. …
The auto insurers knew enough to offer rebates given the minimal driving that we are doing. My inbox tells me that the car service companies, including those that primarily change oil, either don’t realize that our patterns have changed or are too stupid or programmatic to make the necessary adjustment. …
Some of the wisest communications that I’ve seen have come from Alaska Airlines who have regularly informed customers of steps it is taking to keep everyone safe. That’s hardly unique for an airline, but what did get me to notice was a new and very human video centered on the idea that Alaska Airlines will be there “when you are ready.” https://blog.alaskaair.com/coronavirus/alaska-airlines-coronavirus-supporting-guests-team/. No hard sell. No false conclusion that people will take to the skies at the same time. Instead, it was empathetic and real. And smart. …
So much has changed during COVID-19, but what hasn’t is that I fail to listen. Marketer and wise man Seth Godin told me and us on March 20 to stay away from social networks all the time, but especially these days. https://seths.blog/2020/03/calm-also-has-a-coefficient/. “Twitter has been engineered to maximize panic. Calm is penalized, panic is amplified.” I’ve had way too many days feeling panic from what I’ve seen on Twitter. My weak defense is that I’m a news junkie – I have been since I was first able to read – and that I have to live life in real time. During the pandemic, for me at least, it’s been a path to being upset and defeated. And it’s self-inflicted. I need to do better. Now. And that includes time on Facebook. …
You’ll be snockered in no time if you down a shot every you hear the term, “We live in unprecedented times” in a commercial during a night of television watching. This is neither a news flash nor an original or compelling thought …
It’s always about clicks, never more so than today. Coronavirus may come back stronger in the fall is as definitive as a 100-item menu, yet this is positioned as news just about every day on CNBC and elsewhere.
I’ve long held the belief that you need to revisit your marketing playbook every six months. These days, the conversations need to happen weekly.
In about the time that it takes to fly from Chicago to San Francisco, Frontier Airlines reversed its plan to charge passengers who wanted to guarantee that a middle seat would be empty. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/frontier-airlines-rescinds-middle-seat-pay-trnd/index.html. That the original idea saw the light of day is incredibly dumb. …
Until next time. Stay safe.
