inluminent

Lately, I’ve been reading Gonzo Marketing, and just ordered Cluetrain Manfesto from Amazon, and I have to say that I agree with a lot of what they books are about. Mainly that traditional marketing and mass media approach to the internet are all wrong (from what I’ve read so far).

So today, while watching the VMAs, I read this article and was blown away again. This group of authors is on to something.

The Two Reasons Marketers Don’t Understand the Web

And why they will continue to get it wrong.

August 28, 2002 - It’s really very simple:

1. They can’t tell the difference between a party and a market.

2. They think it’s their party.

You’ve got to go read the article. And there are some great nuggets in the comments:

If a website gets really annoying I’ll stop using it. If it makes me jump through too many hoops to get to the place/info I want to get to then I’ll shop elsewhere. Something for website “owners” to consider. –Tammy

As David rightly points out, the problem with marketers/advertisers is that they think it’s their party. Despite the fact that they’ve determined a theme and paid for the affair (i.e. website), they really aren’t in control. People/users attend as they wish and leave early if it’s boring. They don’t come back and they tell their friends. –Susan

If a business can truly relate to the values of their clients, no matter what the product/services, they will have good business, with or without marketing hype. Most succesful companies do have a (almost) personal relationship with their major clients. –Dmitri