I’ve experienced three types of bad marketing during my time in this industry; ‘Minute’, ‘Me too’ and ‘Me, me, me’ marketing. They occur all too regularly, and it’s time they got off the pitch.
Minute marketing
This is the type of bad marketing that is based on 60 seconds worth of thought. There’s no research, no consideration on whether it fits the marketing plan or if it’s right for the target audience.
It’s just a random, disconnected idea. Generally speaking, the more weird and wacky (or ‘creative’ as some people might call it) the better.
Good marketing is based on thorough research and thoughtful consideration.
Me too marketing
All too often, people base their marketing on what their competitors are doing. That normally means copying what they have seen on their rivals’ website.
They see that Smith & Jones Ltd is offering a new service and cry “Me too, we offer that service as well”.
How do they know the new service is a success? Smith & Jones probably copied it from another company!
If your marketing plan is strong and based on objective research, you should have the confidence to ignore what your competitors are doing.
Me, me, me marketing
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in marketing is to assume you are typical of your audience. What you like, they will like. That’s wrong.
It’s impossible for one individual to be typical of an audience, that’s why experienced marketers spend so much time doing market research. We want to get the target audience’s opinion, not rely on ours.
If you ever find yourself committing a red card offence in marketing, slap yourself. All these fouls can be prevented by a robust marketing plan based on thorough research.
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