We all want to help one another

As we approach the anniversary of 9/11 I have had moments of serious introspection. I cannot believe it has been ten years. I remember that tragic morning as though it were yesterday.

I remember where I stood as I witnessed the callused calculated acts of hate and misunderstanding. I wept for those poor souls lost that morning. I wept for the brave men and women who stood up against an insurmountable foe and gave their lives that others might live.

It is that bit of humanity that unites us all and gives me hope. Hope that we might live our entire lives the way those few people lived theirs for a few moments. To think of others before ourselves.

“We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others happiness. Not each others misery…But we have lost our way.”

Is Consumer Involvement Always Necessary?

You know when you drive by a terrible car accident and cant help but watch? That’s the way I felt when I saw this commercial for a Cluassen Pickles consumer involvement campaign. Needless to say the unsuspecting consumer wasn’t impressed and likely a bit annoyed.

While I think some of the consumer involvement campaigns made possible through social media and online video platforms have been highly successful. I think too many marketers, afraid of missing an opportunity, are dragging the consumer through ill designed marketing ploys that leave them disappointed.

The problem lies in ignoring some of the most basic marketing principles. The successful consumer involvement campaigns remember the value of…well, value. Consumers don’t want to jump through hoops, listen to contrived marketing messages, or be condescended to through “authentic” brand experiences.

So the question is the same as it ever has been. What can you do for me? Why should I listen or even worse spend my time with your brand?

How are you creating consumer involvement opportunities that are worth my time? What are you doing to create value?

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