Comments on: mass marketing and the heroic, lone individual

By: Young Edward

Young Edward — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:28:26 +0000

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By: Rasul Sha'ir

Rasul Sha'ir — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:43:09 +0000

Very profound idea. I think what is also valuable to recognize is that a huge part of the reason why marketing is what it is today is because our economic and political DNA (two enormous factors that dictate our perceptions and realities) — which on many occasions — trumps the cultural context is wired to support the success of the “individual”. Not the (cultural) group. It is a strong argument that this country was built on “I” not “we”. This is the very idea that drives this country. Hence why marketing is as it is — as Mark Earls states. Daily we don’t operate consciously and/or deliberately thinking about we (even though that’s truly how we are engineered — i.e. the cat swimming analogy). We have separated business and how we as people actually live (depending one one another) for a long time now. Once we look seriously at aligning the two then I think even more significant crumbling of the Marlboro Man schema will continue to take place.

By: Frank P

Frank P — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:47:31 +0000

I think that there may be an added dimension which goes someway to explaining the Mr Lonesome heroic tactic, in that often we do what we do because of what those around us are doing it while rationalising to ourselves that we are Mr Lonesome Heroic and doing it for far better reasons than everyone else.

By: Andreas Krey

Andreas Krey — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:22:59 +0000

I still wonder whether practically every active form of marketing isn’t simply manipulating people (or trying to).

By: Valeria Maltoni

Valeria Maltoni — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:26:32 +0000

And to think that I read “Herd” cover to cover. Of course! On a related note, I am working on some thinking around APE and cartoons, etc. Also surprised I had not looked at that as a viable media story before.

By: Jason korman

Jason korman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:50:37 +0000

hugh, Brilliantly lucid

By: Daniel Edlen

Daniel Edlen — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:37:32 +0000

So, maybe Facebook ads should show how many of your friends also clicked through? Cross the interruption model with social pull?

By: KAPITEL

KAPITEL — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:47:30 +0000

Now that we are all together we can “burn” the billboards, repeatedly ignore/sabotage these messages, make adspend an irrelevance and claim back the environment, our mental real estate and maybe, just maybe, create a better future in which the Orwellian leanings & fiscal idiocy inherent in mass marketing, the tv industrial complex, imbalance of power and control doesn‘t so readily feature…
Exxon Mobil, Clear Channel et al.…..it‘s up to us to make these ideas a reality.

By: miz lonely

miz lonely — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:07:20 +0000

yeah you could sell me anything right now

By: Shelley Noble

Shelley Noble — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:55:09 +0000

So deep. So powerful an idea, Hugh.
I remember the day, when I emerged from decades of watching infomercials on TV alone late at night, and realizing that everyone else had been doing the same. How did I find that out? The internet.
I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to discover that millions of other people could quote “going to see” Cal Worthington or the cadence of the Chia Pet tv ad copy, not to mention, falling and not being able to “get up”! I thought that only I was loon enough to watch that crap! Who else would? Everyone, as it was all that was available to connect with at that time. Alone together.
So, now that we know we are all together here, what can we do with it?

By: Keith Handy

Keith Handy — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:56:48 +0000

That cartoon (“If you talked to people the way advertising talked to people, they’d punch you in the face”) has resonated with me so much that I’ve been thinking and saying it since the first time I saw it, and probably half-forgot the source.
Multiply that by ten when it’s an automated pre-recorded telemarketing call, and I’ve just wasted my breath on a sincere “hello”.

By: Engago Team

Engago Team — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:31:40 +0000

The power used to be advertising, thus ordering and commanding and paying invoices.
Now the power is changing into social media, which requires effort and intelligence. Things money can’t really buy.
After 200 years of advertising in mass media (newspapers — first in 1702 in UK), the change is imminent and very disruptive.
How will the Proctor & Gambles’ going to handle this? As small companies can challenges the Goliaths with content that generates interest and additional communications almost for free.