Guerilla

Advertising has always been an one-way street. So companies and agencies had nothing to worry and could tell people whatever they wanted to hear. Today the game has changed.

I personally recognized very early, that advertising is not very trust-worthy at all. One day on christmas eve I was sitting next to the christmas tree and very excited, while unpacking the all new biiiig transformers truck. I saw the commercial for the truck several times on tv and was thrilled by what it could do. All the possibilities and different looks it could have – great! But as soon as I held it in my hands my enthusiasm vanished. Not only half of the things they showed on tv were really possible to do and beyond – it was broken and had to be exchanged. I think that was the first time I recognized myself, that advertising is not what it seems to be. Even though my parents told me before, that I should not trust everything on tv, I was kind of disappointed.

Unbelievable that this advertising lies still exist. Even though every civilized man should know it better, today. Do these ugly cheat-ads of every-day-people being interviewed by the companies really work? Is there anybody out there thinking that these are real people? I guess not – so why do they do? A big german telecommunications company called 1&1 introduced a guy called Marcel D’Avis half a year ago. Even if this guy really exists – what he tells is simply wrong. 1&1 wants to position itself as a trustworthy and open company. But the truth is that 1&1 is the opposite. The service is a disaster and the hotline overloaded 24/7. The ads appeal to people with internet connection. What a joke!!! If people with internet are not suspicious, then who is? It takes them one minute to check if Marcel D’Avis is talking bullshit and another minute to realize that the company is not what it tells it is! These ads are a joke!

The old marketing rules are about repeating and repeating. If a message should stay in your head, it has to repeat several dozen times. That’s why big companies push tv ads until it hurts. Remember McDonald’s I-love-it-campaign? It still hurts!
It seems as if more and more companies try to make people believe that the company is trustworthy just by saying and repeating it over and over again. Nice try, but that’s not the way it works. People’s tv usage has changed. While watching tv, people surf on their laptops and the truth is only one click away. Bad blog articles, recommendations, price comparisons – it’s all available in a second.

We can not longer treat people like idiots and hope that a few of them believe our bullshit, just to sell a few 24-month-contracts. There might be still a lot of them, but the technologic intelligence helps them to realize the truth. When I say I’m trustworthy – I better am. When I say I have a great service – I better be right, because if I’m not people feel being fooled. And they will not only tell their friends in the neighborhood, but also their 1000 friends on facebook and 5000 followers on twitter. And that kind of message can spread like a wildfire – what we call a social media disaster.

The old marketing rules are still relevant – but companies have to think ahead. They have to optimize them. A bunch of people call it marketing 2.0. I like the idea – because it is right. The old rules are still working, but there are new rules, too. Companies have to combine them to succeed in this new age of technology. But the most important thing to know is: Stop lying – now!!!