“Marketing without marketing” is the title of a book about viral, consumer-driven marketing. “Meta-marketing” would be another suitable term to describe the phenomenon that was once more widely discussed around the recent release of the iPhone. Stunned by the buzz about the “Jesus Phone,” many observers pointed out that Apple actually didn’t do much marketing and relied mainly on the evangelizing power of its avid early adopter customers. There were ads, sure, (for example on the back over of the New York Times magazine), but overall, the investment in marketing seemed disproportionally low given the impressive results.
This stands in stark contrast to the marketing for the much-hyped “Skins” shoes that made Business Week’s Reena Jana, underwhelmed by the product, wonder: “Maybe we were expecting too much? I can’t help but wonder, could the marketing and early buzz around this start-up shoe company be so good as to eclipse the product itself?”
Does this imply that marketing can be too good? How much marketing is good for a product, and how do you draw the line between cool buzz and over-hype? At which point does buzz become an annoyance and distract from the product? Is it a matter of tone, style, or simply volume? Is it the singer, is it the song?
The answer, of course, is far more complicated that these questions would suggest. In any case, what Jana’s comment proves is that marketing itself has become a subject of marketing. In fact, the way you market a product may at times even be more influential in driving a product’s perception than the actual product features. Welcome to the age of meta-marketing. The “making of” story, the plot behind the plot, and the peripheral actions are increasingly clamoring for the center of attention. If you’re a marketer, this means for you: build the perceived value of your marketing strategy into the marketing strategy itself.
Here are eight concrete ways to do it:
1. Draft a press release at the beginning of a project to project the ideal outcome, setting up a palatable “PR goal” that the product has to live up to.
2. Write the one feature article about your product that you want to see published in your top-target publication (and then make it happen).
3. Develop an alternative, not-so-obvious scoop that makes for good rumors and can be shared by consumers and media over cocktails (“…but here’s the really interesting thing. Did you know that…?”)
4. Come up with a truly original, groundbreaking marketing innovation for your campaign (“the first campaign to advertise on eggs”; well, this one is actually not so innovative anymore…)
5. Speak at an industry conference or publish an article about your marketing.
6. Let the public participate in the success of your campaign – in real-time. This is America. People love to watch horse-races.
7. Challenge the rules and ironically play with the confinements of your genre (i.e.: a full-page ad about the ineffectiveness of print advertising). Irony is good because it creates an ambiguous room of resonance that both advocates and opponents of your position can inhabit.
8. Create a scandal that doesn’t hurt your brand. Case in point: When Al Gore III, the associate publisher of Good Magazine, got arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and prescription drugs, driving 100 miles per hour with his Prius, Slate promptly mocked: “Can you drive 100 miles with a Prius?” and everyone suddenly knew Good Magazine. The story didn’t have much staying power, but when the son of the good Al Gore, of Good Magazine, is good for producing such a good story, well, then it’s simply good (meta-)marketing.
Interesting strategy.
Posted by: Parbrize auto | November 13, 2011 at 02:10 AM
It's better to learn it from their selves. This is a good find blog.
Posted by: security | September 01, 2011 at 01:23 AM
Rather actually! On the press release - Does one still have to go through the old means of finding a good PR person, or is there a trusted website that will help a small business from start to end with a Press Release?
Posted by: Camarad | August 23, 2011 at 07:55 AM
Actually, telling people about a certain product is already a promotion of its future production.
Posted by: l arginine effects | August 02, 2011 at 11:48 PM
You are making your strategy in your own way. I can see it's effective and you know what you are doing.
Posted by: tx | June 07, 2011 at 05:41 AM