I’ve always held a severe disdain for “the tabloids”…and anyone I see “consuming” them. While standing in a grocery line and being stared at by long-lens photos and over-the-top headlines promising insight and enlightenment, it pains me to realize that if there wasn’t a market for this type of nonsense, there would be more room for gum.
I often find myself thinking that, if we could just find a way to shine the “light” on the “unenlightened,” humankind would start evolving at a faster pace. But, in the real world - as my father so frequently articulates – it’s generally a matter of “whatever floats your boat.”
Unfortunately, I feel the same way about the plethora of professional “marketing” blogs these days. To me, they’re somewhat akin to the tabloids, in that many of them seem more focused on sensationalism than on the actual business challenges of our craft. The prevailing tone seems to suggest, with a sometimes-condescending tone, that we’ve all missed the “social boat.” But, of course, with their guidance and insight, we, too, can become “enlightened.”
To add insult to injury, we still have our very own – and very antiquated - “trade” tabloids, now searching frantically for ways to remain relevant in our self-editing lives. As “traditional news” channels scramble to reposition themselves, “trade” tabloids and their “access fare” are facing certain extinction.
I’ve been fascinated (and mildly amused) by the recent attempt by Advertising Age® to provide relevance by so graciously listing our industry’s “Power 150.” However, before our “Power 150” badge-carrying “blogoids” start linking their digital arms to display unity in the face of my contempt, let me also state, for the record, that I’m equally upset at not being included in People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful.”
Now that we’ve gotten the pettiness out of the way - and as I frequently read, but seldom find practiced - let me say that this isn’t about you. It is however, about us; it’s about us in the marketing business…a business that has always been, and will forever be, “practiced” at the leading edge of technology.
As professional marketing musketeers, our main weapon has always been our ability to leverage developing technologies to amplify our crafted messages. This has allowed us to advance a cause that we believe (or pretend to believe) is to the benefit of the many.
These days, of course, the leading edge of technology is often social networking. And the greatest (and most important) capabilities that the new “social” network technologies provide are access and tracking, as well as our own individual abilities to be responsible for ourselves.
Gone forever are the days of hidden agendas, obscure credibility, facades of “editorial integrity,” and residual acceptance. From this relative personal-brand point forward, we’re all on our own.
And it’s about time.
