Archive for the 'Bad Marketing' CategoryPage 2 of 3

Dr. Allister Bixby’s Search Engine Cure-All and Hair Tonic

Published
by
Matt
on Aug 15, 2007
in Bad Marketing, Marketers, New Marketing and Web Sites
. Comments

Now I’m sure this kind of thing has been said before, but I feel that there’s more to the search engine optimization (SEO) industry than meets the eye.

If you’re running a website or a business today, there’s no doubt you’ve heard of SEO. The industry, which appeared to have sprung up overnight, is booming. It seems like almost every person/marketer on the internet is a qualified SEOer all of a sudden. But how did this happen?

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It reminds me of the patent medicine boom in the 1800’s. During that time, the market was flooded with products claiming to cure everything from hair loss to “stoutness” to fever. There was no regulation, so people put together whatever ingredients they wanted, got a fancy label with a fancy name, and peddled it as a magic cure-all. Little did most people know that these tonics had bogus ingredients with serious side effects such as addiction and death.

Now I’m not claiming that SEO can kill you. What I am saying is that it’s easy to be tricked. There’s no four year degree in search engine optimization, and unlike a lawyer, you don’t need to pass a test to be a practicing SEOer. You have to take their word for it (or client testimonials if you’re lucky) and really believe that they can deliver.

It’s important to note that I’m not knocking SEO here. While you could say that I’m in the “Content is King” camp, I honestly believe that SEO is an important tool. However, I still believe that search optimizing a site with poor content is like wrapping a crappy product in a pretty box - it won’t do much good.

That being said, I’d like to invite the SEO readers to respond to this. What could I do to make my website better/more SEO? What are a few simple tips that the average person could use to help them out? And how do you know when a SEO is legit?

Big Opportunity with Small Businesses

Published
by
Matt
on Jul 4, 2007
in Advertising, Bad Marketing and Marketers
. Comments

A lot of local advertising makes me either cringe or shake my head. Their attempts at humor or gimmicks usually fall flat, and in the end, they usually do more harm than good.

With the large number of people receiving marketing or advertising degrees every year, who is there to work with the local advertisers?

Someone needs to sit down with small businesses and tell them to forget about the gimmicks and just be informative. We know you don’t have a big budget, so just focus on the message.

Working with these local businesses isn’t high powered and sexy like a Madison avenue agency, but there might be a lot more opportunity.

My Own Shop

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 26, 2007
in Advertising, Bad Marketing, Business and Marketers
. Comments

Have you seen any websites for marketing or advertising firms lately?

Go ahead. Open another tab and search for some. Look at a few of them. Notice anything?

They all look the same. They all have a short section about the firm, a quick list of their “core values” or “goals,” they list samples of their recent work, and then they say something to the effect of “…we deliver a unique experience for our clients to build brands and engage audiences..” (What does that stuff even mean?)

My question is this: If they can’t even differentiate themselves, how can you expect them to do it for you or your product? Sure flashy graphics and novel interfaces add a little value (see Leo Burnett), but with the same old information, it’s like putting a brand new paint job on your 1987 Toyota Camry. Sure it looks better, but it runs just the same.

If I ran an agency, the first thing you would see on my page would be a phone number. And not just a number leading to nowhere, but one that put you in touch with an agency rep that had the power to get things rolling. Sure it’s important to feature some of your work for people who are just browsing, but the ability to deliver real, personal insights immediately makes a big difference.

Another thing I would feature on my site would be a live chat room, where members of my team are both encouraged and sometimes directed to hang out. The purpose of this room is to provide some interaction for people with questions, and also just to set up a forum to talk marketing. If you’re considering hiring an agency, you want to know how they think, and what better way than to discuss it with them.

So there it is..a couple ideas from me. Look for me opening up my own shop sometime in the next 20 years. Look forward to hearing from you.

The Man Behind The Curtain

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 23, 2007
in Bad Marketing, Marketers and New Marketing
. Comments

As marketers (and we’re all marketers, some of us just get paid for it*), how do you feel about other marketing?

Sometimes I see really good marketing (anything iPod, Geico cavemen, Southwest’s ding) and get excited because I realize it’s also good from a technical standpoint.

Other times I see “good marketing” (Abercrombie stores/ads, Dove’s campaign for real beauty), realize what they’re trying to do, and feel manipulated.

Does anyone else ever feel this way? Is it because we know what’s going on? Like seeing the “making-of” before watching the movie itself?

Sometimes I wish I didn’t know there was a man behind the curtain.

*I would like to get paid for it - If you’re interested email me

WOW! 50% Off This Post!

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 21, 2007
in Advertising, Bad Marketing, Marketers and Products
. Comments

I was in a leather shop in Florence a little over a week ago. Soon after one of the salespeople discovered that I was a recent graduate (and therefore didn’t have much money) he leaned in, and as if sharing a little secret between us said, “Well, I’ll tell you what, I can give you anything in here for half off…”

Knowing the store was still making a healthy profit after that “deep” discount, I got to thinking about how marked up everything must be. Not just in this leather store in Italy, but everywhere.

I recently saw a coupon for $50 off a membership at a local pool club. If they can offer that much money off and still make money on the membership, then just how much profit are they making without the sale? Seems like a little much to me.

The knee-jerk reaction to a great sale is “Wow! What a good deal…” but the more you think about it, the more the reaction turns to “Wow! I’m really getting ripped off normally..”

Is that the kind of message you want to send?

The “10 Year Old” Test

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 17, 2007
in Advertising, Bad Marketing, Marketers and New Marketing
. Comments


My guess is that most adults don’t get it either. Sure they might understand that the intent was to go over your head, but does that make you want to get Verizon FiOS? I don’t think so.

Which brings me to my next question:

Can your marketing be explained to a 10 year old? Hopefully it can.

With all the noise in peoples lives today, the last thing they want to deal with is complicated marketing. Ideas that are simple, clear, and actionable - win.

So try it. Ask a 10 year old (hopefully one you know or are related to) what they think of your plan. Kids don’t understand concepts like branding or search engine optimization, they see things on a more fundamental level. Think Got Milk? or Just Do It or any iPod advertising.

When the goal is to get people talking about your product, hopefully you give them more to say than “Nice truck.”

Tools Of The Trade

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 14, 2007
in Bad Marketing, Marketers and Web Sites
. Comments

Ryan Howard doesn’t head to the plate with a whiffle ball bat. Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t drive a 1989 Toyota Camry. Stephen Spielberg doesn’t make his movies with a HI-8 camcorder.

So why are you still using a free domain name?

If you’re serious about what you’re doing, then make sure you do it right. A www._______.com/yourdomain screams “I don’t care enough about my buisness/blog/image to spend six dollars on my own domain!”

If your website is a conversation (and it should be), then your domain name is part of your introduction. So be careful, because you know what they say about first impressions…

Straight Shooters

Published
by
Matt
on Jun 5, 2007
in Bad Marketing, Marketers and New Marketing
. Comments

Hi everyone,

Greetings from Zell Am See at the base of the Alps in Austria. Here’s a small observation from my travels in Europe so far…

Using the Euro here, I’ve found that almost all the prices are whole numbers. It makes life a lot easier. Always having to deal with 1.99 or 34.99 is a hassle. The whole point of pricing like that is to trick consumers into thinking that the price is actually less than it really is. Maybe it’s time to stop trying to trick people and time to start making their lives easier.