Lippi and Co.: Advertising isn't dead; you're killing it.

Advertising isn't dead; you're killing it.

The world of advertising and marketing, as we know it, has been turned on its head and is suffering a slow and painful death. No longer can you get away with telling consumers that tobacco is safe, lead paint in children's toys is harmless, Airborne pills will prevent the flu and, my favorite, Extenze will increase your male member.

When communication opportunities were more limited to outbound, marketers of products or services found success without achieving it. Bogus claims were easy and if they made them clever and told them often enough the public bought them.

Who's to blame?

The advertising firms making such claims without doing their due diligence or the product companies directing the campaign?

Doesn't the ad agency bear as much responsibility to provide truthful advertising to the public? Is it purposefully done to fool the public and increase profitability?

Should they be hung for attempted murder of such a vital and important industry?

Perhaps this is extreme but the good news is that, regardless of advertisers claims, thanks to social media and inbound marketing, these products get outed quickly and pay the price in lost revenue. Good riddance.

It's a new day.

In today's world of social media and consumer connectivity, consumers can kill a bad product faster than a Duracell battery dies. Celebrities endorsing products they have no relation to may get a nanosecond of credibility but the public quickly becomes the rightful judge.

Advertisers must be at the top of their game.

There's zero tolerance in our new world of media. Consumers demand honesty and relevance. Bad products have short lives.

President Abe said it right "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

And the solution is...

Both advertisers and their agencies must understand they are selling to an extremely educated and well connected audience. We must open our lines of communication with our customers, engage them, let them tell us what they want and need. Not what we think they need and want.

On the flip side, if a mistake is made or an error occurs this same media can be used to honestly engage the customer. Admit you are aware of the problem and discuss what you're doing to correct it.

Advertising is not dead, it's being reincarnated.

Marketing Maestro,

Larry

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